By Bob Chadwick Executive Vice President, New Castle County Chamber of Commerce
Exciting things are happening at the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus! Through UD’s purchase and redevelopment of the former Chrysler site, jobs are coming back to Newark and new and exciting partnerships are being created that will transform our local economy in very beneficial ways. Bloom Energy, a game changing company in the energy sector is about to open on the campus and will create close to 1,000 jobs. Another game changing company that is working on opening at the STAR campus is The Data Centers, LLC.
Creating up to 290 new full time jobs and an additional 50 part time jobs (not including the construction jobs involved in building the facility), The Data Centers is an innovative, high tech, managed data facility. The project will include a secured co-generation plant that will provide primary power and redundancy with 100% reliability. The redundancy aspect is important. It will provide stability to the City of Newark power grid with efficiencies unavailable anywhere else and help with local business retention.
Along with redundancy, fiber optics will be expanded in the area as a result of this project. This will benefit small to large businesses alike and help with the attraction of new businesses to Newark. The amount of water The Data Centers will use should also be mentioned. Water for the project will be provided by United Water and will not draw from the City of Newark. Further, as a by-product of this water use, the steam generated could be used for UD’s heating and cooling systems and could create opportunities for aquaponics and hydroponic research by the university as well as local private companies.
Some people have raised concerns about the scope and environmental impact of this new project. Indeed, some faulty information has been distributed. So, let’s get some facts on the table. This project must meet all local, state and federal laws regarding emissions, noise, and water quality standards in place now and in the future. Through their operation, they will recycle the C02 produced by the plant and it will be sold to other industrial users for beneficial purposes. The facility will be constructed to LEED Platinum standards (the highest standards) and will be an EPA Energy Star facility (meets or exceeds the strictest standards available).
The Data Centers is an environmentally friendly and business friendly high tech game changer for the Newark area and the state. The by-products and deliverables from the operation of their site will put Newark on the top of the list for future high-tech, job creating businesses that are looking for a place to call home. We need to embrace The Data Centers LLC and give them a warm welcome to Newark. Let your local government representatives know about your support.
Please let your local elected officials, including your State Representative, your State Senator, and your City Councilperson know that you support this important project.
