Industry Insights: Air Permitting for Data Centers

Smartphones play an enormous role in daily life for the 90% of Americans who own one, up from just 35% in 2011. For those in the vast majority, think about how many photos you have saved on your phone, the number of emails you send in one day, the countless apps you’ve downloaded. Then, consider the cloud storage needed to save the abundance of data generated and shared each day. Where does it all end up? Enter: data centers.

Data centers comprise warehouse-style buildings that house computer servers. Although the computer servers alone aren’t sources of air emissions, they require a large amount of reliable, redundant power; with the growth of artificial intelligence, the power required is even greater. This reliable and redundant power often comes in the form of fuel-fired emergency generators. Depending on the number of emergency generators proposed, most states require the facility to obtain an air permit to install and operate the emergency generators. This step is a critical part of the project, as the timing of the air permit has major effects on the overall construction schedule.

The type of air permit required for a data center development depends on the potential emissions of criteria air pollutants from the proposed backup generators and the applicable federal, state, and local air quality requirements. The potential emissions hinge on the number of proposed generators, the number of hours needed for testing, tuning, and maintenance, and whether the generators are certified to meet the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 2 or Tier 4 emission standards. Depending on the permit required, air quality dispersion modeling may also be required to demonstrate compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Langan’s integrated team enables a one-stop-shop approach to data center developments. This approach provides clients with a clear, continual line of communication between services throughout the entirety of a project without having to engage multiple parties. For instance, Langan can navigate air quality permitting, modeling, and compliance requirements at the start of a project, before conducting surveys, optimizing the site layout, evaluating subsurface conditions, developing sustainable landscape designs, and much more. By approaching projects in a cohesive manner, Langan helps clients streamline these fast-tracked developments, make informed decisions, and remain on schedule from due diligence through construction.

Stephanie Duffield has diversified environmental compliance and permitting experience, including multimedia compliance plans, air permitting, stormwater/wastewater permitting, contingency plans, emission calculations and reporting, and multimedia compliance auditing. She is also experienced in air quality dispersion modeling using U.S. EPA AERSCREEN and AERMOD and leading multimedia permitting strategies and planning across different industries, states, and regulatory agencies.