Saw Mill Technology Center

Saw Mill Technology Center is currently being advanced by the property’s landowners who are serving as the developers during this early stage of planning and evaluation. As the project progresses, additional partners, contractors, or operators may become involved, subject to applicable approvals and review. Any changes in project roles would be communicated as part of the public process.

Saw Mill Technology Center is being designed to minimize water use, with a strong preference for air-cooled or closed-loop cooling systems, which require minimal water input during normal operations. Data center water use can vary widely depending on design choices and operating conditions. Modern data centers are significantly more water-efficient than older facilities, and many are designed to operate with minimal water use, particularly when air-cooled or closed-loop technologies are employed. The data center ordinance adopted by the township is designed to ensure minimal impact on the local water supply, reinforcing these design approaches and establishing requirements that limit potential water use. At this stage of the project, no end user has been selected and no formal request for water has been made. Early planning discussions about water availability are a standard part of evaluating any large infrastructure project and are intended to understand what resources exist—not to request or commit to their use. Because the final design and tenant are not yet known, it is not possible to provide a specific water-use estimate at this time. Factors that influence water use include: Cooling technology (air-cooled, closed-loop, adiabatic, or water-cooled systems) Power density of the facility The type of computing performed The size and number of buildings on the campus Actual operating levels compared to maximum capacity Under the ordinance as currently written, cooling options are effectively limited to air-cooled or closed-loop systems, which are among the lowest water-use technologies available for data centers. For additional background on how these cooling systems work, the following resource provides a clear, non-technical overview: https://baltimoreaircoil.com/air-cooled-water-cooled-adiabatic-hybrid-fluid-cooling-solutions

Protecting local drinking water is a priority. Any water-related systems associated with the data center would be designed, constructed, and operated in compliance with applicable Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) requirements and local regulations. Before construction, required permits and approvals would address issues such as water sourcing, stormwater management, erosion and sediment control, and groundwater protection. During construction and operation, these systems are subject to inspection, monitoring, and enforcement by the appropriate regulatory agencies. If a verified impact to drinking water were ever identified and determined to be associated with project activities, the responsible party would be required to take corrective action in accordance with Pennsylvania law, which can include investigation, mitigation, remediation, and coordination with regulators to protect affected water supplies. Residents with specific concerns about wells or water systems would also have access to existing state and local processes for reporting and investigating potential impacts. For more information, visit: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection – Water Protection PA DEP – Erosion & Sediment Control and Stormwater Permitting PA DEP – Private Well Safety and Water Quality: PA DEP – Environmental Complaints and Reporting

Water use is heavily regulated in Pennsylvania. If a permitted activity were ever shown to impair a private well, state law provides processes for investigation and corrective action, including restoring or replacing the water supply. For more information, visit: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection – Water Protection PA DEP – Erosion & Sediment Control and Stormwater Permitting PA DEP – Private Well Safety and Water Quality: PA DEP – Environmental Complaints and Reporting

Data centers do not directly raise local electricity rates for residents. In many cases, new infrastructure investment can strengthen local electric systems. Electric service is planned and approved through utility providers and regulators to ensure: Existing customers are not impacted Infrastructure upgrades are paid for by the project, not ratepayers Grid reliability is maintained or improved While PPL Electric is unable to publicly comment and confirm this, our development consultant team has many active projects in the US where the entirety of the infrastructure costs are being paid for by the end user, typically upfront - and we would expect this here. Here are a few relevant articles for you to explore: https://www.reuters.com/business/microsoft-launches-data-center-initiative-limit-power-costs-water-use-2026-01-13/ https://investors.pplweb.com/2025-07-15-PPL-Corporation-and-Blackstone-Infrastructure-create-joint-venture-to-build-natural-gas-generation-in-Pennsylvania-in-support-of-data-center-development

Grid-connected data centers do not produce significant industrial pollution such as smoke, odors, or chemical discharge. All equipment must comply with state and federal environmental regulations. The primary onsite systems used in data centers–computer servers, electrical equipment, and cooling systems–are exceedingly safe and commonly found in commercial buildings across the U.S. Questions often come up about how backup diesel generators operate at data centers during everyday operations and in emergency situations. Under normal conditions, data centers operate almost entirely on grid power—typically more than 99.99% of the year. Backup generators are not used for routine operations. Instead, they exist solely as emergency equipment and are operated only during brief, scheduled daytime tests, usually monthly or quarterly, as required by state and federal regulations. In total, these generators typically run for only a few hours per year. All equipment at Saw Mill Technology Center that could produce emissions—including backup generators—would be fully permitted, regulated, and monitored in accordance with local, Pennsylvania, and federal environmental requirements. Below are a few online resources that provide additional factual information and context: https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/clean-air-act-resources-data-centers

Modern data centers are designed to operate quietly, with sound mitigation measures such as: Acoustic enclosures for noise emitting equipment (emergency generators) Sound-attenuating walls Strategic equipment placement Setbacks and buffering Noise standards are reviewed during permitting and must comply with local ordinances, ensuring that a data center won’t make any more noise than other commercial, industrial or residential development. Under the currently drafted ordinance, during operations, the township and local authorities have the right to check sound levels anytime to ensure compliance with noise standards.

Studies and real-world experience show that well-designed data centers do not negatively impact surrounding property values when proper setbacks, landscaping, and noise controls are in place. A 2025 study from George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government found that homes closer to data centers in Northern Virginia often sold for more than those farther away. In fact, due to improved infrastructure resulting from data center investments, the study found that the farther away a house was from a data center, the lower the sales price. In other words, homes closer to data centers tend to sell for more. That trend held true for single-family homes, townhouses, and condos.

The facility will be designed to blend into its surroundings as much as possible and final aesthetics will be reviewed through the local approval process. A few strategies to ensure the project blends in with its surroundings include: Landscaping and vegetative buffers Neutral building materials Limited exterior lighting with downward shielding The natural topography of the site is expected to limit visibility from surrounding areas. As a result, most members of the public are unlikely to see significant portions of the data center campus during construction or operation. As project planning advances, conceptual visual simulations and point-of-view renderings will be shared to help illustrate the project's appearance from nearby roads, neighborhoods, and other public vantage points.

During ongoing operations, traffic impacts are very limited, as data centers do not generate customer traffic. Most activity occurs during construction, which is temporary and managed through approved traffic plans developed in collaboration with local authorities and stakeholders.

Data centers are subject to extensive building, safety, and environmental regulations.. They do not generally store hazardous materials in large quantities, and potential impacts such as noise, emissions, or stormwater are addressed through permitting and ongoing compliance with state and federal standards. Because of these regulatory frameworks and modern design standards, potential impacts are controlled through: Permitting and inspections by agencies such as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) Fire, safety, and building code compliance enforced by local authorities Best practices in design and operations that minimize noise, emissions, and other environmental effects The first data center was built by the U.S. Army in Pennsylvania in the 1940’s, and today more than 5,000 data centers safely operate across the U.S.

At this stage of the project, an end user or operator has not yet been selected, and the specific use of the data center campus and individual buildings will ultimately be determined by that group. In general, facilities of this size are typically used to support everyday digital services that residents, businesses, and public agencies already rely on, such as cloud computing, secure data storage, healthcare and emergency systems, communications networks, and online services. It’s also possible that this campus could be destined for national and federal high-security uses. The campus and its future data centers will not be open to the public, does not host retail activity, and does not involve manufacturing or industrial processing. The facility’s purpose is to safely and reliably operate computer equipment (servers and GPUs) indoors, with extremely limited outside or onsite activity once operational.

At this stage of the project, an end user has not been chosen. The landowner and its partners will be socializing this site and development opportunity with the data center marketplace in the future. There are a multitude of data center end users and operator types or classes that could be interested in this site. Each potential end user or operator is capable of providing different types of data center use cases, whether it be cloud computing, federal or national security services, artificial intelligence, or retail and colocation based operations. These groups often work together and some are both lessors and lessees of each other’s data center capacity.

Any future decommissioning of the facility would be conducted in compliance with applicable Pennsylvania law and local township and county requirements, including approved decommissioning plans, site restoration standards, and financial security mechanisms such as bonds or letters of credit, as required.

Saw Mill Technology Center could support tens of thousands of jobs during construction, including both direct and indirect roles. Construction activity would occur over multiple years and could support thousands of jobs annually across skilled trades, suppliers, and related industries. Once operational, the site could provide approximately 200–400 long-term jobs, along with additional employment supported through ongoing demand for local businesses and services. Construction and operations may also increase demand for local contractors, suppliers, and service providers, while supporting continued economic activity in areas such as retail, dining, healthcare, and professional services.

The project will include substantial improvements to infrastructure. These investments are typically funded as part of project development and coordinated with utility providers to ensure adequate capacity and reliability.

Saw Mill Technology Center could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in one-time tax revenue during construction, with millions going to Penn Forest township, Jim Thorpe Area School District, and Carbon County. Once operational, tens of millions of dollars in new annual tax revenue will be generated. When broader economic impacts are considered, total tax contributions could exceed $1 billion over time.

Depending on final tax allocations, the project could provide tens of millions of dollars in annual funding to Jim Thorpe Area School District. This revenue may support school operations, facilities, and programs, and help reduce pressure on residential property taxes over time. Additionally, unlike a large residential project, where many new students may move into the school district, the Saw Mill Technology Center is unlikely to generate any meaningful new demand on the school district.

Environmental considerations are an important part of the project’s early planning. The development team has already commissioned environmental studies, including a wetland delineation and habitat assessment, to better understand existing site conditions. These studies are used to identify sensitive areas such as wetlands, streams, and wildlife habitat. If the project moves forward, findings from these studies will help inform site design and ensure that any impacts are avoided or minimized and addressed in accordance with local, state and federal regulations. Additional review by regulatory agencies is also required as part of the permitting process.