MADISON, WI — New analysis from Clean Wisconsin finds that air pollution from diesel generators at the hyperscale Vantage data center in Port Washington could cause $960,000 to $1.29 million in annual public health costs statewide. Most of these harms are attributable to increased ozone pollution, a main component of smog linked to serious respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
“While Clean Wisconsin remains concerned about the huge energy and water demands from hyperscale data centers and their impacts on Wisconsin’s climate, ecosystems, and ratepayers, this analysis highlights that there are also significant harms to community health from on-site air pollution that need to be addressed,” says Clean Wisconsin Energy and Air Manager Ciaran Gallagher.
In comments submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Clean Wisconsin urged modifications to a draft air permit that would allow the data center to operate 45 diesel generators power.
Clean Wisconsin called on the DNR to:
- Require generators that meet stronger emissions standards
- Limit operation of generators to emergencies and required testing
- Install continuous air monitoring with publicly available results
The Vantage data center is being built in Ozaukee County, part of a region along Wisconsin’s eastern lakeshore that already fails to meet federal ozone standards. Clean Wisconsin’s analysis demonstrates the localized impact of air pollution, finding that Ozaukee County will bear about 10% of the total health costs from the data center’s backup diesel generators, despite making up less than 2% of the state’s population.
Hyperscalers claim that their data centers demand an enormous amount of uninterrupted power. To prevent even brief power outages, data centers install backup generators that automatically turn on when grid power is disrupted.
“Data centers could rely on clean technologies like batteries instead of polluting diesel generators that exacerbate asthma-causing pollution,” says Gallagher.
Read Clean Wisconsin’s comments to the DNR
