As part of its planned 250MW Plano Skies solar project
The company behind a huge solar project in Plano, Illinois, is seeking to build a data center campus as part of the development.
According to local reports, the proposed data center is expected to be located off Rock Creek Road, to the north of Plano.
According to preliminary plans, the data center campus would comprise seven data center buildings, each with its own backup generation unit, as well as a switch substation and DC substation. Details on the data centers cooling systems have yet to be finalized, according to company representatives.
Savion is currently developing the 250MW Plano Skies Energy Center, a solar generation facility located in Kendall County, Illinois.
Situated on a 1,550-acre plot, the project is expected to serve the PJM power grid via an interconnection to the ComEd 138kV transmission line located within the project's site.
The data center proposals received backlash from local city officials who objected to the lack of information provided on the project.
Criticizing the planned development, Plano City Alderman John Fawver said: "When you pitched this at your community meeting three years ago, it was all about twenty-five years, and then we pull it out and we can reuse that.
“Now, you're talking about a permanent structure, and you're putting that permanent structure in the backyards of the houses if you're at the south end. You're asking us to change zoning for that significantly and put a burden on our residents. And then, where does any of this fit into the city's comprehensive plan?"
In response to the objections, Anna Chalupa, development manager for the project, argued that the company is trying to be cooperative with city officials on the project, stating: "I understand that there are concerns, and that's why we are not permitting this right now and shooting this for the moon right now.
"It's, again, to get feedback, and this is very valuable information for us to take back to our team. One of the causes for this that was part of the plan is that there was a lot of conversation about economic benefit, and this was a way that we felt that the community could receive significant economic benefit and economic opportunity."
The approval process on the project has not yet started and will proceed through the Plano Commission when it does.
The company revised plans on the project earlier this year following consultations with city officials. The revised plans included an agricultural buffer between the project and the local area, the removal of battery storage units, and a reduction of the project's overall footprint by approximately 450 acres.
Kansas-based Savion is a renewable energy company and a portfolio company of the Shell Group. Founded in 2019, the company develops utility-scale solar and storage technologies, with projects in various phases of development across 28 US states.
Source: DCD
