Angelita Soriano already knew that Amazon’s Hobart data center would be massive, but she said seeing the numbers in a recently filed air permit application was shocking.
“I guess it’s more frustrating and making it more real,” said Soriano, a Hobart resident who lives across the street from the data center site. “On our Facebook group, I had people telling me that there’s no way that there’s going to be many millions of gallons of diesel storage across the street. But this permit (application) is validating every concern we’ve had.”
According to state documents, Ramboll engineering firm filed an Indiana Department of Environmental Management air permit application on behalf of Amazon Data Services on July 24. The application is about 190 pages.
According to the application, Amazon proposes to construct and operate two data center facilities in Hobart, one at 4751 E. 61st Ave., and a second at 6197 Colorado St.
At the 61st Avenue location, Amazon plans to build 170 emergency backup generators, according to the introduction of the permit application. Amazon plans to build 612 emergency backup generators at the Colorado Street facility, and the total power capacity combined for both sites is 2,119 megawatts.
The Hobart data center facility will have 26 buildings spread out across the two sites, with six at the 61st Avenue location and 20 at the Colorado Street location. According to the permit application, the facility plans to have 808 fuel storage tanks, storing more than 5.46 million gallons of diesel fuel.
“It makes me deeply concerned,” Soriano said. “I have two young girls, so it’s not just me that I’m worried about. This is going to be the air they breathe, 24/7.”
An IDEM spokesperson acknowledged Amazon’s air permit application in a Tuesday afternoon email statement. The agency is still reviewing project specifications in the permit application, and no determination has yet been made about public proceedings for the permit.
“Once IDEM completes its review of the application and develops a draft permit, there will be a 30-day public notice period where the public can provide comments and questions,” the IDEM statement said. “IDEM cannot provide a timeframe for completion of this process. Review periods vary based on several factors, including the complexity of the application and whether additional information is needed from the applicant.”
An Amazon spokesperson said the emergency generators are used on a limited basis and meet EPA emission standards.
“Emergency generators are a last resort when the grid fails to keep essential AWS services available for the millions of customers who rely on our cloud 24/7, including hospitals, emergency responders, schools, and government agencies,” the spokesperson said in a Tuesday afternoon email to the Post-Tribune.
“These generators operate approximately 10 hours per year, and every critical generator we install in Indiana meets the EPA’s highest emissions standard and uses the best available technology. Before we install generators, our air permits go through multiple state and federal review to ensure full compliance with all regulations. We take air quality in our communities seriously, and our actual emissions are a fraction of what our permits allow.”
Ben Inskeep, program director for the Citizens Action Coalition, said the application is notable for the size and number of backup generators. He also said it’s a “massive amount of power” to have in one place.
“Diesel generation is an incredibly dirty and inefficient way of generating power,” Inskeep said. “When they operate, it does generate a lot of local air pollution, and they’re noisy. It also means that a lot of diesel needs to be stored on-site so that they can operate in the event of a power outage.”
With the 26 data center buildings, Inskeep said the Hobart facility will be a “massive development” and one of the largest in Indiana. In New Carlisle, where Amazon has another data center, there are 18 buildings, Inskeep added, but it’s on its way to having more than 30 buildings and more than 2,000 megawatts of power consumption.
New Carlisle has the most backup generators of any Indiana data center, Inskeep said, and the Hobart site could have the second most if the permit is accepted as is.
“This data center is being sited right next door to residential subdivisions,” Inskeep said. “We’re talking about dozens of families that are living close by to where these generators are being sited. … We’re talking about kids, elderly people, vulnerable populations, pregnant women who could be inhaling this dangerous, polluted air as a result of this extensive operation.”
Amazon’s Hobart application also makes Inskeep concerned about future data center development in Northwest Indiana, especially since the region has high pollution burdens from heavy industry. Hyperscale data center sites “are monstrous, and the applications keep coming,” he added.
More Top Picks Spectral Filters Explained How They Target Wavelengths
“It’s unclear how bad it’s going to be, but it seems to be the start of a very bad trend,” Inskeep said.
Lisa Vallee, organizing director for Just Transition Northwest Indiana, agreed with both Soriano and Inskeep’s concerns with the Amazon permit application. She said it’s frustrating to see Amazon moving forward with the process after residents and activists have made it known for months that they oppose the project.
Diesel is a “heavily polluting energy source,” which Vallee added will have a huge impact on the community. She’s worried about what unusual weather conditions, including tornadoes, will do to the site and surrounding area, especially if the backup generators are needed.
“If 782 generators are running, I cannot imagine what the air quality would be,” Vallee said. “Not to mention the fact that (more than 5.46 million) gallons of diesel are going to be stored onsite. That’s a heavily flammable fuel, and if there was an emergency, if a tornado came through or if something bad happened, that could be catastrophic for the town of Hobart.”
Just Transition Northwest Indiana is dedicated to educating regional residents about projects, such as the Hobart data center, that affect the area’s environment and calling for a greener future. Vallee encourages community members to express their opposition to these projects, and she encourages local officials to listen to residents’ concerns.
“We can’t just continue on with business as usual,” Vallee said, “and bending the knee at developers and thinking only of the economic benefit of these different developments. We need to start thinking about the future — not just the generations alive now, but the coming generations and what they will be left with.”