Overview
- Plan commissioners voted 7-1 to recommend approval after a packed hearing where most speakers opposed the proposal.
- Developers detailed a 24-building complex to be built in four phases with a power substation and a switching yard tied to nearby transmission lines.
- At full buildout, the site is projected to draw 1.8 gigawatts of electricity, and ComEd and grid operator PJM said the grid can meet that demand.
- Cooling would use closed-loop systems needing an initial 100,000 gallons per building, with daily usage estimated at up to 150,000 gallons across the site.
- Union leaders touted construction jobs and tax revenue, while residents sought written safeguards on utility costs and developers reported talks with Google, Amazon and Meta without any agreements.