By Nick Reiher

Joliet’s planning director recommended once again postponing a hearing for a 795-acre data center south of Interstate 80 because they still are waiting for critical information pertinent to reviewing the plan.

Dustin Anderson told Farmers Weekly Review in a phone interview residents in the area of the proposed data center are concerned with the affect on the city’s water usage, electricity usage and noise.

HW Technology Park Development LLC, a division of Texas-based Hillwood, has filed plans for a Planned Unit Development for 795 acres bounded roughly by Schweitzer Road on the north, Ridge Road on the east, Millsdale Road on the south and a line between Illinois 53 and Rowell Avenue on the west.

The plan calls for construction of 24, three-story buildings, roughly 145,000 square feet each, Anderson has said, adding 15 to 20 people could be working in each building.

Anderson said the amount of water the data center would take for cooling generators could significantly affect the city’s water usage, even after Joliet transitions to Lake Michigan water.

He told Farmers Weekly Review he didn’t know whether the plan would include recycling the water used, which could cut down on the amount of water needed.

Anderson as for the effect on the electrical grid, Anderson has said data center developers must file their plans with ComEd, which will determine if the supply in the area is great enough to handle such a large-scale operation.

The plan filed with the city could change, based on ComEd’s decision, he added. Still, he said, the city wants to know what the company’s estimate of the initial draw to the power grid would be. And they want to know what noise-mitigation is included in their plan.

Anderson said Hillwood officials are aware of the city’s plan to postpone the plan, but he has not received any response. He does not expect any problems in the long-term.

“I think they are willing to work with us and be professional, good neighbors.”

Data centers house computer systems, telecommunications and storage systems used to back up power supplies for businesses. Those in the field say a large data center can use as much electricity as a medium town.

Data centers already are scattered throughout the Chicago area, with Equinix officials planning to build a data center on Holt Road near Ridge Road in Minooka.

That data center would not be as large as the one being considered by Joliet, Doug Pryor, President and CEO of the Will County Center for Economic Development, has told Farmers Weekly Review. And while there are other data centers throughout the Chicago area, he said, this would be one of the larger ones.

Data centers are popping up throughout the country, Pryor added, because large-scale users want to make sure they have enough IT storage to remain competitive in their respective markets.

“And AI takes more computing power than Googling something,” he said.

More data centers could be coming to Will County. Pryor has said there are talks of one for northern Will County, but he would not give details, other than to say:

“It will be smaller, but not small.”

Nick Reiher is editor of Farmers Weekly Review.