County Executive Marc Elrich said Wednesday that he believes data centers could be built here, “but they have to be done right.”
As long as they are done responsibly, “I see data centers as possible,” he said during his weekly briefing with the media. “We’ve got places to do it,” he said of areas housing computer systems associated with components for telecommunication.
Elrich said his staff is working on guidelines that would be required before any data center opens in the county.
Terra Energy is interested in building a data center and battery energy storage facility on 292 acres of the 758-acre site of a decommissioned coal fired power plant in Dickerson. The plant ceased operation in 2020.
The property is located in the Agricultural Reserve.
Terra received conditional approval to construct and operate a cable communications system which would house data centers and a structure for batter storage which have become important for future energy needs especially associated with artificial intelligence.
It would use water from the nearby Potomac River. It would use the existing water intake at the Potomac River to help cool operations and then exhaust the water back into the Potomac River. This process was used when the power plant was in operation.
According to its plan submitted to Montgomery Planning more than a year ago, the general plans include three land bays. The first would consist of two data centers, two administration buildings and two warehouses.
The second would house a battery energy storage system, substation and office building. The third bay would house five data centers, five administration buildings and five warehouses. It also would have a power transmission substation and a fire safety story area that would house a water and fire apparatus safety storage area.
The early plans comply with the county’s general conditions and standards for a cable communications and public utility structure and are consistent with the goals and recommendations in the 1980 Preservation of Agriculture and Rural Open Space Functional Master Plan, according to the report’s conclusion.
It “will not alter the character of the surrounding neighborhood, will not result in the loss of farmland, and will not result in any unacceptable noise, traffic, or environmental impacts on surrounding properties,” it states in the report’s conclusion.
More approvals would be needed before this ever came to fruition. The planners and county council would review more detailed site plans and possible zoning request changes.
On Tuesday, Maryland legislators voted to require state agencies to study the impact of data centers.
In a post on social media, Councilmember Evan Glass said he planned to introduce legislation that would go along with the state “to establish a formal review process for data center applications in MoCo.”
He tweeted, “We must ensure these decisions are transparent, accountable, and aligned with our community’s long-term planning and sustainability goals.”
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