The Spotlight Delaware news collaborative's in-depth look at the energy needs for a proposed data center site near the Delaware City refinery remains on track to be the most-read Delaware Business Now story thus far in 2025.
The boom in data centers is driven by growth in artificial intelligence data. Based on one study, generating the above ChatGPT image consumes the equivalent wattage needed to charge a mobile phone.
Interest in the proposal has been so strong that a public meeting will be held tonight in Delaware City.
A thorough debate is necessary in a state not known for transparency. It is worth noting that public officials are wary, but for the most part, are not taking the easy route of playing to a vocal crowd that will reflexively speak out against the project.
Here are a few key points for the business community and others to consider regarding the massive project and concerns that will be aired in the coming months.
-Data centers can be good neighbors and don't generate truck traffic we see at warehouse sites.
New technology will reduce power and water consumption. For example, Wilmington-based Chemours is developing refrigerants that reduce cooling costs for data centers.
The clock is ticking on the refinery. It's a mid-sized site that was nearly demolished 15 years ago under an owner who could not handle its complexities. Regardless of what we hear out of D.C., domestic petroleum consumption is expected to decline. The nation has not seen the construction of a new refinery in decades.
Energy needs could lead to an advanced combined cycle natural gas power plant (sorry, Sierra Club), arrays of solar panels, battery back-up, Bloom Energy fuel cells, wind turbines, hydrogen power, and even a "micro" nuclear power site.
Delaware's lack of locally generated electricity could lead to the development of an energy generation center on the above-noted 5,000-acre tract.
The Delaware City Refining Co. site encompasses 5,000 acres and is a valuable industrial asset for Delaware.
The data center complex could be smaller than initially proposed. Developers always start with a "max" plan, knowing that it can be scaled back.
The data center will not be built all at once, allowing time for the grid and other power sources to go online.
- Let me know if you would add any pluses (and minuses) to these bullet points. Reply to this Email and type away. - Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
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Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.