Bitfarms Wins Local Approval to Advance Pennsylvania AI Data Center Project
Bitfarms has received a special exception permit for continued development work on a proposed multi-building AI data center complex in Carbon County, Pennsylvania.
According to a Times News Online report on Tuesday, Bitfarms won the approval from the Nesquehoning Planning Commission, which clears the way for Bitfarms to build four 315,000-square-foot buildings on roughly 90 acres off Industrial Road near the Hauto Valley Estates.
The proposal also includes a separate, later phase on land tied to the former Panther Creek Cogeneration Plant that Bitfarms acquired last year, with that second site planned as a single-building development.
During the planning commission meeting on Monday, Bitfarms Chief Operating Officer Liam Wilson and other company representatives fielded questions from commissioners about traffic, noise and taxes, the local report said.
Officials discussed potential traffic impacts around the Route 54 and Industrial Road intersection and said additional studies are planned. Bitfarms also presented noise-related materials on existing ambient levels and mitigation plans.
Wilson reportedly told commissioners the company expects to pay applicable taxes even as Pennsylvania officials have discussed potential tax exemptions for data centers. Bitfarms representatives also said the project is intended to avoid straining local utilities, citing a new PPL line paid for by the company and plans to truck in water for an initial cooling-system fill.
The proposal drew questions from local residents, including concerns about water usage and zoning, while other residents voiced support for the project. The planning commission approved the special exception permit and voted to make minor updates to the borough’s data center ordinance before sending it to borough council for formal adoption.
