Groups Take Legal Action Against Spartanburg Data Center

Two environmental groups, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, have asked the South Carolina Public Service Commission to step in over a data center power plant being built in Spartanburg County. The Concerned Citizens of Spartanburg County and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy say the developer, Valara Holdings, started construction on a roughly 450-megawatt gas-fired power plant without getting approval required under the state's Siting Act. That law requires any power plant larger than 75 megawatts to go through a public review by the Commission before construction begins. Valara reportedly never applied for or received that approval.

The plant, meant to supply electricity for Valara's data center, would produce enough power for thousands of homes, but the groups warn it would also release harmful air pollution, including fine particulate matter, smog-forming compounds, and formaldehyde, a carcinogen. Their petition asks the Commission to force an open, public review of the project's environmental and community impacts and to require Valara to provide the transparency the law demands before work continues on Pine Street.

This case is playing out in South Carolina and centers on one specific data center project, not a broader rule change. Still, it points to a pattern: as data centers drive up electricity demand nationwide, some developers are building large gas plants to power them, raising questions about air quality and grid impacts for nearby residents. For homeowners elsewhere, it is a reminder to watch for similar large energy projects proposed near your own community.