Providing all DEP approvals are received, work on a sprawling data center at the base of the Broad Mountain in Nesquehoning, next to the existing co-gen plant, is expected to begin sometime in 2027.

Construction is expected to take up to 20 months.

About 400 workers, many of them union employees, are expected to be used for the construction.

When completed, about 350 full-time jobs will be available.

This was reported during an information question and answer session conducted by officials of Carbon Node East, which is constructing the data center. It will be owned by the Keel Infrastructure Corp.

About 75 people attended the meeting Thursday night in the auditorium of the Panther Valley Junior-Senior High School. The event was held prior to a hearing conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection regarding pending permits for the project.

The DEP will take written testimony on the data center until Sept. 5.

Kevin Roberts, developer for Keel Infrastructure, as well as five other representatives of the firm, answered a volley of questions regarding the project. Also present were about a dozen representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Roberts said besides benefiting Nesquehoning borough, the project will provide $1 million in benefits to the Panther Valley School district for three years and additional benefits after that.

He said the plant will have a closed loop water system, meaning water for operations will be recirculated. He said Keel will pay for any PPL Utilities infrastructure to supply the plant with power. In addition, it also will repair any roads damaged during the construction process.

Michael Archer, an environmental engineer for the firm, said although the plant has a closed loop system, about 7,500 gallons of water would be utilized from the public water system for employees to utilize for such things as hand washing. The firm has a permit to discharge 18,600 gallons per day. The reason for the additional discharge is because of the accumulation of condensation from operations, he said.

Roberts said there will be four buildings on the site, which is between Dennison Run and Broad Run. He added that for construction, some trees will have to be removed but there will be over 10,500 planted in their place, including 6,000 evergreens and the remainder deciduous trees.

The noise level during operations will be within the daytime 65 decibel level and 55 decibel level allowed in the borough ordinance.

James Whitehead asked how much water will be needed to initially fill the loop system. Roberts said it will be a total of 700,000 gallons, which will be purchased from the borough. He said his firm will work with the borough to assure the water is obtained without harming the residential supply. If this doesn’t work out, Roberts said, water will be trucked to the site.

A representative of the DEP said Nesquehoning has five wells, 300 to 500 feet deep. He said safe yield will be monitored through the process, but “it’s up to the municipality to determine what they have available.”

James Roberts of Lansford was concerned that removal of the trees will impact wildlife. Roberts said not all the area on the site has trees.