Waterford ― The Connecticut Siting Council is examining 63 public comments as it decides whether to conduct a public hearing on NE Edge LLC’s proposed data center on the grounds of the Millstone Power Station.

Millstone owner Dominion Energy Nuclear Connecticut is seeking to change the boundaries of its property to make space for a proposed data center which would use power generated on site.

In February, the town agreed to a deal with NE Edge that signaled it was open to the idea of hosting two two-story data buildings that would provide approximately 1.5 million square feet of storage for cloud and data servers. The centers would be supplied with energy from Millstone.

NE Edge would construct a third building, a switchyard, that would receive power from Millstone and distribute it to the data center.

According to the agreement, NE Edge would pay the town $231 million over a 30-year period.

The siting council, facing a Sept. 26 deadline for action on Dominion’s petition 1586, held a public comment period that closed at midnight Thursday. The council must now take action at its Sept. 14 hearing on whether to hold a public hearing or issue a ruling. The 1 p.m. meeting will take place via Zoom and the council said a link would be available in the meeting agenda on its website.

Of the 63 comments submitted, eight requested the council hold a public hearing.

Why did Dominion need to submit the petition?

Typically, the siting council has authority over any electrical generating facilities on the Millstone property, which is the only designated use for the property. But since the data center would take energy away from the grid, rather than contribute to it, Dominion needed to ask the council for an official ruling.

If the council rules in Dominion’s favor, it would give NE Edge which is trying to develop its first data center, the opportunity to install the facility on the Millstone property.

The ruling seeks to modify the Millstone site boundaries to accommodate the data center but would not approve the company’s building there, council director Melanie Bachman said.

The siting council must make a decision on Millstone’s petition by Jan. 24, 2024.

Before construction, NE Edge would still need to go through the lengthy process of obtaining town and state approvals, which would include additional public hearings.

A flurry of public commentary

Of the 63 written comments, many were submitted by residents who were part of the organized meetings or members of the town’s Millstone Point Association, a neighborhood directly abutting the power station.

Many Millstone Point residents, noting they would face the brunt of what they say are largely unaddressed noise, security, traffic, environment and quality of life concerns from the proposed center, asked the council to deny the petition.

James Fillion said he lives on Winward Way, about 1,500 feet from the proposed center.

“It is obviously the most vulnerable location in terms of being exposed to noise pollution, but we do not feel any resident of Waterford should be expected to live with the damaging effects of constant, inescapable noise,” he said.

However, the siting council cannot deny the petition over concerns about the center itself, as it only can consider opposition to the modification of Millstone boundaries, Bachman, the council’s director, said.

Bachman said Friday that the comments regarding the data center will still be considered, but in a limited capacity.

“We’ll consider the comments to the extent they pertain to the ruling that is requested for a site boundary modification,” Bachman said. “The data center proposal is not part of the requested ruling.”

Quaker Hill resident Bryan Sayles, who organized several meetings of the newly-formed Concerned Citizens of Waterford Focus Group to gather public information on the proposed data center, said he opposes the boundary division and requested a public hearing.

“My interest in seeing Dominion’s petition DENIED is rooted firmly in my belief that the 526 acres of Dominion/MPS owned operating boundary should never be divided, reduced from its current 526 acres, leased or otherwise used for anything unrelated to power production,” Sayles wrote.

He added a public hearing would give concerned citizens a chance “to contribute their own valuable input to help shape your decision.”

“Many neighbors are just hearing about this proposal as there has been little public discussion to date,” Gun Shot Road resident Joan Donovan wrote Wednesday. “And as an abutter I was not informed of the proposal by Dominion, NE Edge, LLC, or the Town of Waterford.”

“Please call for a public hearing on this matter,” she added.

Law firm Robinson + Cole, which represents Dominion, filed an objection to the requests for a hearing Thursday, saying the data center use is not related to or associated with existing power generating operations at Millstone and is therefore not subject to the siting council’s jurisdiction.

“The Petition seeks Siting Council approval for a limited purpose; to revise the identified ‘Site’ boundary for the MPS, nothing more,” attorney Kenneth Baldwin wrote.

Some letter writers indicated they would rather the siting council handle the matter as opposed to the town. They have complained about what they say is a lack of information about the project and say they fear the town is rushing into the agreement with NE Edge without properly informing the public.

“I need more info to understand how it benefits the town of Waterford and if these benefits outweigh the potential downsides,” resident Michele Lewis-O'Donnell wrote in her comment. “So at the moment I am opposed to the center until there can be a town-wide information meeting and citizen discussion.”

In an e-mail Friday, First Selectman Robert Brule responded to the residents’ concerns.

“Both the Board of Selectmen and RTM unanimously voted last February for Waterford to become a Host Community because of the job creation and Town revenue generation potential of the proposed Data Center project located on Dominion property. Our residents will always have the ability to ask questions and voice their concerns or support as the project proceeds through the regulatory process.”

On Feb. 22, the RTM unanimously backed the Board of Selectman’s host fee agreement with NE Edge.

d.drainville@theday.com