Groups take legal action against Spartanburg data center

Petitions say ongoing construction at Valara data center lacks key approval

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of Concerned Citizens of Spartanburg County and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, has petitioned the South Carolina Public Service Commission to address Valara Holdings, LLC’s violations of the South Carolina Siting Act which occurred when Valara commenced construction without Commission review and approval of its gas plant. The petitions ask the Commission to require an open, public review of the environmental and community impacts of, and need for, the Valara data center power plant and to demand Valara provide the transparency and information to the public that the Siting Act requires before construction can continue on Pine Street.

Earlier this year, the public learned that Valara planned to construct and operate a roughly 450-megawatt gas power plant to run its data center, enough electricity to power thousands of homes. The power plant would create significant and harmful air pollution, including fine particulate matter, smog forming compounds, and carcinogenic formaldehyde – which could pollute nearby communities and the environment. The Siting Act requires power plants greater than 75 megawatts to be thoroughly reviewed by and receive approval from the Public Service Commission prior to construction, yet Valara has not applied for or received such approval.

“Residents around the Valara data center are understandably concerned about the impacts that this data center and new power plant could have on their health, environment, and quality of life,” said Emily Wyche, SELC Senior Attorney. “By constructing a huge power plant without key approvals and failing to inform the public of its plans, Valara continues a troubling trend of data center developers providing no transparency to the communities most impacted by their projects, like the people of Spartanburg County.”

“Data centers are not above the law. The people of Spartanburg have the right for the state to review whether building a major, polluting power plant on Pine Street is compatible with needs of the state and their community,” said Eddy Moore, Decarbonization Director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.