Comment sought on new Vantage Data Center permit

QUINCY - The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) is seeking public comment on a proposed air quality permit for the planned Vantage Data Centers server farm.

The server farm is planned for 63 acres northeast of Quincy. The permit would allow the company to install 17 backup generators for use during power failures to support the facility's data servers.

The permit places conditions on the operation to protect public health, according to Ecology. The generators are powered by diesel engines.

Ecology's toxicological and computer modeling experts have completed a review of the Health Impact Assessment submitted by the company's consultant, ICF International, in support of the Vantage Data Center application. 

Because diesel engine exhaust particulate is a toxic air pollutant, Ecology required a thorough evaluation of the health risks posed by the project.

A public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 6, to gather formal comments about the proposal. It will be held at 6 p.m. in the upstairs meeting room at Quincy City Hall, 104 B Street SW.

The public may submit written comments on this proposal through Sept. 10 to Beth Mort, Department of Ecology, 4601 N. Monroe Spokane, WA 99205-1295, or by email at beth.mort@ecy.wa.gov

The Quincy server farm is the second for Vantage Data Centers (VDC). The first was built at Santa Clara, Calif.

VDC is backed by the private equity firm Silver Lake Partners, based in Palo Alto, Calif. At Quincy it will develop nearly 500,000 square feet of enterprise data center space.

Vantage will build the project in several phases, starting with a six megawatt, one-story 133,000-square-foot center that has been fully leased to an undisclosed Fortune 100 technology company. The first phase could be completed next year.

Future phases of the Quincy campus will include a 105,000-square foot Enterprise Technology Center and capacity for an additional 235,000 square feet of data center space.

The enterprise technology center will combine corporate office and data center space, with the office space housing up to 100 employees in executive offices, conference rooms and meeting areas.

Vantage selected Quincy primarily because of Grant County's ample supply of hydroelectric power. The company is tapping into a market described by some analysts as the most attractive for investors in all of commercial real estate at the moment.

- Staff report