YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Lordstown Village Council’s Dec. 1 decision to rescind the ban on data centers in the village just four weeks after approving it is a wise move, but it doesn’t guarantee that a developer’s proposed $3.6 billion data center will move forward.
Nor should it.
Bristolville 25 Developer LLC’s proposed center would employ 120 full-time employees once operational, generating an estimated $21 million in direct wages and $11.4 million in indirect wages annually.
Ohio already has 215 data centers, according to Data Center Map, an online database, and expansion is happening seemingly everywhere. In November, The Business Journal reported on a possible $1 billion data center at the former McDonald Steel property, and others likely are being discussed. Plans to manufacture and assemble modular data center and server components is driving a potential major expansion of Foxconn’s manufacturing plant in Lordstown.
But legitimate questions remain regarding what that expansion looks like for the Mahoning Valley and what price its residents are willing to pay for it. Data centers use significant amounts of water. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute contends large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons per day.
The Pew Research Center reported that power use by U.S. data centers represented more than 4% of the county’s total energy consumption last year. By 2030, use is expected to grow to 426 terawatt-hours of electricity, a 133% increase from 2024.
Both represent areas of concern for data center critics, who raise issues over capacity and potential price surges from increased water and energy demand. Other concerns include pollution from the use of fossil fuels to generate the needed energy, noise from the plants and land loss to the large centers.
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber has offered to facilitate discussions between Lordstown officials and what it describes as “neutral, third-party experts” who would provide data center industry information.
That’s a good idea. In fact, Mahoning Valley communities might benefit from a broader discussion about the potential benefits and costs associated with this industry.
Data center growth might be inevitable, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be managed.