Second data center proposed in Waterford Township

MARIETTA, Ohio (WTAP) - A second data center project is being considered in Waterford Township, according to a letter Washington County Commissioner Charlie Schilling read at Thursday’s Washington County Commission meeting.

The letter from developer Continuum Partners describes a proposed data center called “Project Crystal.” The data center would be built on Clark Hill Road, next to the Project Riverbend data center that also has been proposed. Neither project has been finalized.

The letter says the investment could reach about $1.8 billion, and AEP Ohio would supply the power.

Continuum says it would pay for roads, utilities and fire and EMS. It also says it would pay the county a minimum amount each year for every megawatt that comes online and would use closed-loop cooling to limit water use.

The letter also says the dollar figures, the site plan and the tenant are not settled.

The company estimates the project would create about 2,000 construction jobs at peak and 300 to 400 permanent jobs. Schilling said the jobs would be welcome in an area that lost a major employer when a coal plant closed.

“When we can bring back 3 to 400 permanent jobs, you know, here in this area of Washington County, when more than that was lost when the AEP coal-fired plant closed 10 years ago, I believe that’s good news,” Schilling said.

Schilling said he learned about the proposal within the last week.

He said the next steps are for the county’s outside legal counsel to review the proposal and start work on a development agreement. That work could include tax incentives and a community benefits agreement.

Schilling said he expects announcements within 30 to 60 days.

No public hearings have been scheduled. Schilling said the commission wants to hold an open house on both projects as soon as possible.

Read the text of the letter below.

Project Crystal is a proposed data center on Clark Hill Rd in Waterford. The Project, like neighboring Project Riverbend and Cipher’s data center (in Morgan County) will be served by AEP Ohio, with a potential investment of about $1.8 billion. The power line extension from the Muskingum 138kV substation will be paid for by Continuum, not by you through your electric bill.

The building designs are long and low, about 45 feet tall, single story, set below the surrounding ground where we can cut them in. Most of the land stays open: buffer, berms and tree lines between the buildings and the road.

Our firm, Continuum Partners, formerly HashWorks Industries, is an energy and real estate development company. Our roots are in power: finding land where power can be delivered, securing it, and building infrastructure the market is seeking. The companies that operate the computers are our tenants. What drew us to this corner of Washington County is where it sits: close to a major natural gas pipeline, and next to the retired Muskingum coal plant, with infrastructure already in place to power the digital services that residents, businesses and governments have come to rely on.

We’ve heard the concerns, and here is what we’d like to put on the table.

The project pays for what the project causes. Roads, water lines, the power connection, fire and EMS. Not the County, not the Township, not you.

A minimum payment to the County every year for every megawatt that comes online, whether or not the property is assessed the way we expect. And a separate yearly payment into a community benefits fund.

Closed-loop cooling. The system is filled once and recirculated. Day-to-day water use is for drinking water, fire protection and for bathroom facilities.

Buildings at least 300 feet from any home. Berms and trees planted with each phase. Lights pointed down. A noise limit at the nearest house. And a bonded plan to take it apart and put the land back if it ever shuts down.

About 2,000 construction jobs at peak and 300 to 400 permanent jobs once the first building is complete, with a written preference for hiring here and training partnerships with the Career Center and Washington State College.

A named liaison with a published phone number before site work begins, public briefings every quarter during construction, and a resident seat at the table for the life of the project.

Some things aren’t settled yet. The dollar figures, the site plan, the tenant. We’d rather be honest about what we don’t know than confident about something that falls apart later.

Our next step is sitting down with the County, the Township and Wolf Creek and Fort Frye schools to turn these answers into a more formal agreement.

One last thing, and it isn’t in any agreement. This summer my wife and I went to the county fair. We bought a few of the 4-H hogs at the auction, the way local families have for generations, and that pork has been delivered to Wolf Creek schools in support of it’s breakfast program and the community food pantry. Nobody asked us to do this, but that’s just one measure of how we intend to be part of this community for the long term, whether or not a single building goes up.

Editor’s note: The video for this story will be added once it airs. Please check back for the updated video.