- New Jersey issues $1.07m fine for failure to obtain permits to run gas generators
- DataOne campus running Microsoft's AI was using 62 of them illegally
- DataOne "disagree[s]" but has 45 days to obtain the relevant permits
A Microsoft partner has been hit with a $1.07 million fine by the US state of New Jersey after allegedly installing no fewer than 62 natural gas generators on-site without obtaining the correct environmental permits.
The state found out about the generators after a local farmer photographing a neighboring golf course noticed equipment appearing on the campus, which led to an investigation and the deployment of a thermal drone, which at the time, observed 45 of the 62 generators in operation.
The fine was based on New Jersey's Air Pollution Control Act, which requires both reconstruction permits to install the generators and operating certificates to run them. Neither had been obtained across all 62 units, the department said in an announcement.
Microsoft has been running 62 generators illegally at just one campus
DEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak described the fine as "by far the largest ever taken against a data center in New Jersey and possibly one of the largest such actions in the nation."
With each generator rated at 1,982 kilowatts, they collectively have a 123-megwatt capacity. For reference, the state asserted that any individual generators with a 37kW or higher capacity should be approved.
The generators effectively provide the data center with a considerable amount of off-grid electricity supply, but while this may be good news to alleviate strains on local infrastructure and household energy prices, CO2, NO2 and CO emissions are particularly concerning.
"While we disagree with the temporary generator determination, we will apply for the air permits for the temporary generators and are in communication with the Department of Environmental Protection regarding its findings and the fuel cell transition timeline," DataOne, the company behind the data center, said in a statement.
DataOne has been given 45 days to obtain the relevant permits, but in the interim, it can continue using the gas generators.
"The Sherrill administration demands accountability and corporate responsibility in the construction and operation of data centers," Potosnak added.
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