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Residents criticize Page data center proposal
A massive new data center has been proposed in the Page area, and while supporters say the center will create jobs, not everyone is excited about it. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean reports.
PAGE, Ariz. - Hundreds of acres in Page could soon become the site of a data center, but the proposed $10 billion project, which was brought forth by a U.K.-based company, is getting some pushback from residents.
The backstory:
In October, the Page City Council voted 5-2 to approve a contract, allowing a feasibility study on the data center project.
The project is proposed for the southeast side of Page, across State Route 89 from Horseshoe Bend and the Colorado River.
Opponents express environment and water worries
Some residents say they do not need the next 18 to 24 months to know the data center proposal is not a good fit for their community.
"This is my home. The landscape is so beautiful, the scenery is so beautiful, it's sad to know it could easily be destroyed," said Teyana Begay.
Begay, 19, is part of a movement to stop the proposed data center from being built in her hometown. She says her main concerns are connected to environmental impacts, including air pollution.
"These data centers put out small particles into the air that can have a huge impact on our health," Begay said.
Another concern is water usage. An article by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute shows large data centers can use as much as 5 million gallons of water daily, or the equivalent of a town population between 10,000 and 50,000.
"The population of Page isn't that big, it's only about 7,000," Begay noted.
The other side:
During a September City Council meeting, a representative from Arup Engineering, a company working with United Kingdom-based Rooskey on the proposal, shared a potential remedy for the water usage concerns.
The potential remedy comes in the form of air-cold chillers that would use ambient air.
"There are absolutely plenty of data center examples throughout Arizona that use totally air-cold chillers. Which means that we're not pulling water from the municipality in order to cool the closed loop," the representative stated.
As for concerns over air pollution and carbon footprint, the engineering firm pointed to other companies' strides to be carbon negative.
"All of the major players in data center world have publicly published decarbonization goals."
Councilmembers speak out on proposal
Amanda Hammond was one of the two nay votes. The Page City Councilwoman says she is not against data centers, but is concerned about environmental factors and feels like details are still missing.
"As we started to get into the negotiation process and try to get clarification from the developers about exactly what they wanted to do, exactly how many acres, exactly how much water they're using, where they're getting their electricity, all of that is unknown," Hammond said.
Councilwoman Debi Roundtree, who voted yes, told us in a statement: "The agreement includes provisions that allow the city to step away from the sale, including the right to repurchase the land at the original price if the required conditions are not met."
What's next:
Councilwoman Hammond also shared that community members have gotten more than 400 signatures toward a referendum vetoing the council's vote and allowing the citizens to vote on the project. A verification process will follow with city and county leaders, and this could end up on the 2026 ballot.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered by FOX 10's Nicole Krasean.