• Aligned has broken ground on Project Phoenix, a three-building data-centre campus in Shippingport planned for up to 2GW
  • The campus will use dedicated power and closed-loop cooling, so its energy supply and water use need to be assessed separately

The fact

Aligned Data Centers has broken ground on Project Phoenix, a planned 2GW data-centre campus in Shippingport, Pennsylvania. The development will comprise three facilities on a former energy site. Aligned says the project could support about $10 billion of regional economic investment, although that figure is a projection rather than the value of completed infrastructure.

The campus is planned with dedicated power, including natural-gas-fed fuel cells, and a closed-loop cooling system. Aligned says the cooling design will not require water during normal operation, apart from the initial fill and small maintenance needs. Water will still be used elsewhere in the buildings. Construction has started, but the 2GW figure describes the planned campus rather than capacity already available to customers. Aligned is also seeking Green Globes assessment for the development; certification has not yet been awarded.

The assessment

Aligned is trying to deal with two major infrastructure needs separately. The closed-loop cooling system is designed to keep ongoing water use low, while dedicated generation is intended to provide the electricity needed by the campus. A low-water cooling system, however, does not say anything about the emissions from the power supply. The natural-gas fuel cells therefore need to be considered separately when customers or regulators assess the project's environmental impact.

The same applies to delivery. Each phase will need enough power and cooling ready before its data halls can be put into service. For BTW readers, the next useful evidence will be how much capacity Aligned actually brings online and what power is available for each phase. Operating water figures will also show whether the cooling system performs as planned once the campus is running.

What to watch

Watch for construction and commissioning dates for the first facilities, together with details of the dedicated power brought online for each phase. Once operations begin, actual water consumption and the outcome of Aligned's Green Globes assessment will provide clearer evidence of how the campus performs.