ARCHBALD, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — A packed auditorium, heated exchanges, and hundreds of concerned residents. The fight over the proposed Wildcat Ridge Data Center in Archbald continued Tuesday night as borough leaders held another public hearing on the massive development planned for the mountainside above Business Route 6.
Yellow shirts and ‘NO DATA CENTER’ signs filled the parking lot before the meeting even began.
Inside the Valley View High School auditorium, hundreds of people packed the room to weigh in on the proposed Wildcat Ridge Data Center Campus, a $2.1 billion project that would bring artificial intelligence data centers to the area.
Developers want to build 14 data center buildings across more than 570 acres of mountainside land near Archbald’s Eynon and Sturges sections, totaling nearly 5.7 million square feet of space.
Plans show the campus could use up to 1,600 megawatts of electricity and as much as 3.3 million gallons of water per day for cooling.
During testimony, engineers said the facility would rely on backup generators only in emergencies or during limited maintenance.
Developers say the project would use an adiabatic cooling system rather than an open-loop system that could require tens of millions of gallons of water daily. But filling the system could still take several million gallons of water.
When the discussion turned to water and utilities, the crowd grew loud, forcing council to call a brief recess.
At one point, expert Ben Mitten, CEO of Nuclei Data Advisors acknowledged the system could still operate even without additional water.
At several points, the crowd shouted over speakers, yelling “Archbald sold us out” and “go home to the developers,” forcing council to pause the hearing and call a brief recess to restore order.
Residents say the proposal has consumed their time and energy as they try to learn more about the project.
“It’s constant. It’s really kind of taken over our lives at this point, but it’s our lives on the line. We really will do whatever we can and lose however much sleep we need to just to get information out there and protect the community,” said Jermyn resident Janessa Bednash.
Attorneys representing nearby neighbors also raised questions about whether the application meets borough requirements.
“After reviewing this application—770 pages—there is no fully executed letter of authorization from PPL Electric Utilities and Archbald requires one,” said Attorney Justin Richards.
But opponents worry about the long-term impact on water supplies, infrastructure and the rural character of the area.
Borough council has not yet made a decision as the conditional use hearing process continues.
As testimony continued, tensions inside the auditorium boiled over. The hearing is continued to a later date.