For months, communities across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware have pushed back against proposals to build massive data center campuses, raising concerns about electric bills, water use, noise and environmental impacts. The concerns have prompted new scrutiny from elected officials, includi ng Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who announced requirements for large data center projects to disclose projected water and energy use and pay for costs associated with connecting to the electric grid. But while much of the public debate has focused on the next generation of large-scale data centers, the reality is that data centers have quietly operated throughout Pennsylvania and the region for decades. The difference, experts say, is one of scale. Getting inside Just one large data center is under construction in the NBC10 viewing area: the DataOne facility in Vineland, New Jersey. To better understand what could be coming to the region, the NBC10 Investigators traveled to Loudoun County, Virginia, known as “Data Center Alley,” home to more than 200 data centers. The expansive facilities house rows of servers that process everything from email and streaming video to cloud computing and artificial intelligence applications. NBC10 was granted exclusive access inside the NTT Global Data Centers campus in Ashburn. The NTT campus includes several buildings, each with large rooms containing racks of servers. To better understand what could be coming to the region, the NBC10 Investigators traveled to Loudoun County, Virginia, known as “Data Center Alley,” home to more than 200 data centers. “This building uses enough electricity to power more than 10,000 homes,” said Bruno Berti, who oversees operations at NTT. The Ashburn campus, which is comprised of several large data center buildings, requires enough electricity to rival the demand of a city the size of Allentown. That enormous appetite for electricity is one reason data centers have become increasingly controversial. Grid operator PJM, which oversees the electric grid serving Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and several neighboring states, projects data centers will account for nearly all of the region’s growth in electricity demand over the next several years. Data centers consume massive amounts of electricity to power and cool computer equipment. Their energy demands are expected to increase as artificial intelligence drives the use of more powerful processors. PJM said there is broad support for creating a formal registry to track major electricity users, including data centers. The grid operator said the database would help states, utilities and regulators better understand growing power demand and assess whether large customers are adding electric generation to offset their consumption. “It is accurate to say there is a huge power requirement,” Berti acknowledged. Berti said NTT paid for the infrastructure needed to serve its Ashburn campus and planned years in advance with utility providers to secure the electricity required to operate the facilities. A 2024 study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimated U.S. data centers consumed about 176 terawatt-hours of electricity, accounting for roughly 4.7% of total U.S. electricity use. Some projections show data center energy consumption could double or triple by 2028. Will data centers raise electric bills? That question has become central to public discussions as developers pursue larger projects across the region. Benjamin Lee, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Pennsylvania who studies data centers, said growing demand inevitably brings costs. PECO told the NBC10 Investigators that developers should pay the costs required to connect projects to the grid. However, the company also warned that increasing demand for electricity could affect the supply portion of customers’ electric bills. “What we’re seeing now is a sudden increase, and we’re seeing a mismatch between demand and supply,” Lee said. As utilities build new transmission lines and other infrastructure to meet growing demand, someone has to pay for those upgrades. “If we need more transmission lines or upgraded transmission lines, that is a cost,” Lee said. PECO told the NBC10 Investigators that developers should pay the costs required to connect projects to the grid. However, the company also warned that increasing demand for electricity could affect the supply portion of customers’ electric bills. How much water do data centers use? The servers that power modern computing generate significant amounts of heat. Inside one of NTT’s server rooms, cool air is maintained at about 70 degrees to help keep thousands of computer systems operating. At the NTT facility, a cooling system circulates roughly a large swimming pool’s worth of water through a closed-loop system designed to keep temperatures under control. At the NTT facility, a cooling system circulates roughly a large swimming pool’s worth of water through a closed-loop system designed to keep temperatures under control. Berti said much of that water is reused. Modern cooling systems are designed to minimize consumption, according to Lee. “We’re not really adding new water into the systems, and we’re really not losing water out of the system in these closed-loop frameworks,” Lee said. “The main source of loss is really that warmer water getting evaporated off the top.” Still, water use remains a concern in communities considering future projects, particularly as facilities continue to grow larger. Newer cooling systems also use a closed-loop system but run water directly over computer chips. In May, the Library of Congress released a report examining data center energy and water consumption. It found that a 100-megawatt U.S. data center may consume roughly 530,000 gallons of water per day. By comparison, the average American uses about 82 gallons of water per day, according to the EPA. Newer cooling systems also use a closed-loop system but run water directly over computer chips, Berti said. How loud are they? Opponents of several proposed projects have also raised concerns about noise from cooling systems and backup generators. Outside the NTT facility, the dominant sound came from cooling equipment continually moving air through the building. Outside the NTT facility, the dominant sound came from cooling equipment continually moving air through the building. “Most data centers are using air cooling, and you’re going to hear those fans,” Lee said. “Some acoustic pollution is sort of inevitable.” Data center operators also maintain backup diesel generators that can supply power during outages. At the Ashburn campus, dozens of generators stood ready, though operators said they generally run only during emergencies or quarterly testing. Smaller data centers have operated quietly for years While public attention has focused on multi-million-square-foot developments proposed in places such as Vineland, New Jersey, smaller data centers already operate throughout Pennsylvania. According to a publicly available industry map, Pennsylvania is home to at least 71 data centers, while Delaware has at least nine. In Harrisburg, NBC10 toured Alerify, a 2,500-square-foot data center serving clients in health care, finance and other industries. The company is based inside an office park and is not situated near residential neighborhoods. In Harrisburg, NBC10 toured Alerify, a 2,500-square-foot data center serving clients in health care, finance and other industries. The company is based inside an office park and is not situated near residential neighborhoods. Founder and CEO Andy Kochanowski compared the facility to a storage unit for information technology equipment. “It’s almost like storage of your personal belongings, but instead we’re storing your IT equipment,” he said. Facilities like Alerify help power many of the online services consumers use every day, from banking and health records to cloud storage. The company behind the Vineland campus says that facility could eventually span 2.6 million square feet, the equivalent of roughly 45 football fields. But Kochanowski’s operation is tiny compared to some of the projects proposed across the region. The company behind the Vineland campus says that facility could eventually span 2.6 million square feet, the equivalent of roughly 45 football fields. Kochanowski said about 40% of Alerify’s power comes from solar energy and the facility does not rely on water-based cooling. Several industrial fans operate outside the building and produce a constant humming sound. Lee said data centers themselves are not new. Data Centers Cumberland County Aug 18 Vineland planning board votes to approve adjustment to Phase 2 of data center Montgomery County Aug 13 Upper Merion leadership votes no to proposed data center Montgomery County Aug 6 Board makes no decision as data center plan faces opposition in Plymouth Twp. Pennsylvania Jul 28 Dem's TV ad targets data centers in drive to oust Republican from Pa. House seat Montgomery County Jul 27 Pa. town opposes data center after several proposals and ‘temper tantrum' “I think we have had data centers for a very long time, and it’s only been recently that people have become worried about it,” he said. The concerns, he said, are largely tied to the size of newer projects and uncertainty about whether communities will see benefits that justify the costs. Supporters argue large data centers bring tax revenue, jobs and infrastructure investment, while opponents worry the projects could strain local resources and reshape nearby communities. “I think it’s really about high costs and uncertain benefits that are worrying a lot of people,” Lee said. The debate now unfolding across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware isn’t whether data centers exist. It’s whether communities are prepared for the scale of the next generation of facilities and how their impacts on power, water and surrounding neighborhoods will be managed. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill also unveiled a four-part plan in May 2026 to place guardrails on data centers after declaring a state of emergency on utility costs during her inauguration in January. Sherrill’s plan included establishing a set of rules that data centers “pay their own way,” remain transparent with the public, invest back into the communities where they were built and create jobs in both initial construction and long-term operations that workers can “raise a family on.” Last month, Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signed a handful of bills that shift more responsibility and costs away from Delaware residents and onto the companies seeking to build large energy projects, including data centers, in the state. The NBC10 Investigators can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected]. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less