A new Bitcoin mining data center could soon be coming to Somerville, despite widespread opposition from the town's residents.
According to Morgan County Commission chairman Ray Long, while the commission cannot block the data center from being built, four local homeowners do have that power.
"Something like this is so controversial, and you know, I personally don't think you need data centers in residential areas," Long told WAFF 48. "Unfortunately, there's no roads to keep them out, so the only thing that's really going to keep this data center out for Union Road here in Somerville is for those landowners to continue to hold out and not give in when they've been offered big money."
Per WAFF, before construction of the facility can begin, the group of residents must grant Joe Wheeler Electric's easement request to "install infrastructure." If the request is denied, the data center cannot be built.
According to the National Institutes of Health, data centers can consume terawatt-hours of electricity, which can trigger local brownouts or blackouts, while their cooling processes often consume massive amounts of water.
It's not just a drain on resources that data centers can create.
In Memphis, Tenn., local residents have raised health concerns over natural gas turbines at a nearby data center, with neighboring communities now reportedly experiencing high asthma rates. Another data center in Loudon County, Va., has consistently caused sleep disruptions and headaches for residents due to a constant "hum" resonating from the facility.
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