Data Center Doubts Linger

Hunt County residents left a Core Scientific community information event with varying perspectives on the proposed data center's power consumption and environmental impacts.

Ken Rodden of Greenville attended expecting a traditional town-hall format where residents could ask questions and hear community discussion. Instead, he found information stations staffed by company representatives.

"Going and visiting these different stations, you don't get a lot of feedback from other people too much, so you don't get their ideas on things," Rodden said. "Overall it was informative. I still don't think they've alleviated any of my questions about the cooling and the water usage and the water discharge."

The project represents significant change for this rural community. It is projected to be one of the largest tax-paying investments in Hunt County history, with estimated annual tax revenue of $254 million for Quinlan ISD alone, according to numbers the company provided at the event.

Other eye-popping numbers the company presented included $93.7 million in new tax revenue for Hunt County, $135 million annually for the City of Quinlan, and $1.9 billion in economic output during construction. The company cited the Perryman Group, an economic analysis firm, as providing each of those figures.

Officials from Core Scientific who attended the event declined to answer questions from The Lens.

Meeting attendee Wes Owen said he did not think the location of the data center was a good fit for Hunt County.

"I am not opposed to the data center, but I am opposed to where they put it," Owen said. "There are industrial parks for a reason."

Core Scientific's presentation materials addressed resident concerns with specific projections. Sound levels at the nearest existing home are expected to be around 40 decibels, comparable to a soft whisper, while areas near the county road would experience levels around 70 decibels, equivalent to classroom chatter, the company said. Daily water usage would equal about 21 Hunt County homes combined, using a closed-loop cooling system that reuses water rather than spraying it into the air, the company claimed.

Joyce Bailey brought concerns about water, noise impacts on animals and people, and the fundamental character of her community. The project would bring what she described as "more or less the city coming to Hunt County."

"We've been a small town and most people know everybody at least by face, and we are used to that down-home feeling," Bailey said.

Core Scientific's materials emphasize local hiring for the estimated 150 permanent full-time positions and up to 200 construction jobs at peak building phases. Rodden found that aspect encouraging, noting the company said positions would be drawn from local talent with very few people relocating from other areas.

The campus would pay 100% of its own energy costs without tax abatements, according to company projections.

Bailey acknowledged the project will likely proceed but said her position remains unchanged. She would prefer the company to interact more with the public so residents are more aware of what they represent, who the company is owned by and exactly what they plan to do.