BLACK & VEATCH
Community engagement has become essential because data centres create public concern due to unfamiliarity with the technology and infrastructure requirements.“ People don’ t understand data centre development,” Kathleen explains.“ So there’ s big reactions to a data centre coming in because it looks like something new and ominous.”
But what if this community concern could be turned into support? Educational outreach that explains data centre operations and economic benefits often builds the community backing that facilitates regulatory approval. The numbers are compelling: construction generates US $ 200-300m in local revenue while operational facilities contribute over US $ 1m annually in local taxes per building.
Site selection and campus integration The old rules of data centre site selection – connectivity, power and proximity to users – made sense when facilities were modest and infrastructure was predictable. Those rules have become not just inadequate but potentially counterproductive when applied to multi-gigawatt campuses that resemble industrial complexes more than traditional data centres.
Instead of choosing locations near population centres and retrofitting infrastructure, operators now hunt for locations with existing infrastructure capacity and build connectivity.
“ In the past, the data centre clients have been looking for mostly reliable internet solutions to guarantee latency, looking for close proximity to their customers and their clients,” describes Jenn Cahill, Associate Vice President and Campus Infrastructure Integration Solution Lead at Black & Veatch.“ But I think now, as these new AI data centres have changed, they’ re now looking for critical infrastructure to make them reliable, resilient and scalable.”
Power infrastructure proximity has transformed from a constraint to manage into a competitive advantage to secure.“ Being close to transmission lines now is something that is advantageous,” Phil describes.“ Being close to the distribution of natural gas is advantageous, and having the ability to be near renewable production is another significant advantage.”
But infrastructure availability only tells part of the story. Community acceptance varies dramatically between regions, and this variation can determine project success regardless of technical suitability.
“ Going into Northern Virginia, you’ re going to have a different reception or a more receptive community than in Tulsa, Oklahoma,” comments Kathleen Margolis.
Technology-friendly regions with existing data centre presence offer streamlined approval processes and community support, while areas where the industry represents unfamiliar development patterns may face months of education and negotiation.
Due diligence processes have evolved into comprehensive infrastructure assessments that require expertise spanning power systems, water resources, environmental science, and regulatory compliance. The scope has expanded far beyond traditional facility planning.
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