Attend the SCDES public hearing on Spartanburg data center air permit
NorthMark Strategies (through its subsidiary, Valara Holdings) is currently constructing a data center at 4000 South Pine Street in Spartanburg, the site of the former Kohler plant.
In 2025, the SC Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) approved an air permit allowing the facility to operate 24 natural gas generators onsite that would produce 48 megawatts of back-up power generation capacity.
Valara has since announced plans to significantly expand that capacity by an additional 400 megawatts, using 11 natural gas combined-cycle turbines.
Public hearing: an opportunity to make your voice heard
As part of the expansion, Valara has requested modifications to the facility’s air permit, which is currently under review by SCDES. SCDES will hold a public hearing on Thursday, June 25, at 6:45 pm at the Spartanburg County Council Chambers (366 N. Church St. Suite 1000). Comments during the public hearing will be limited to three minutes per speaker.
Prior to the hearing, staff from SCDES’s Bureau of Air Quality and Bureau of Water will host an availability session beginning at 5:30 pm to answer questions from the public in a one-on-one setting.
Anyone who plans to attend the public hearing or availability session is encouraged to complete the pre-registration form. Please register by Thursday, June 25, at noon.
Upstate Forever's concerns about the proposed expansion
Valara's proposed capacity expansion represents a substantial change in the scale of the project and raises significant concerns related to grid reliability, air quality, water consumption, and broader environmental impacts.
As mentioned above, Valara has requested modifications to the facility’s air permit to accommodate the expansion. Additionally, according to an article in the Post & Courier, the data center is projected to use an average of 459,000 gallons of water per day (more than three times the amount the Kohler plant used at peak capacity), most of which will be lost to evaporation.
We are also concerned by the lack of transparency around the project, as Valara’s expansion plans were not clearly disclosed to the public during the initial permitting process when the facility was approved for a smaller amount of onsite generation capacity.
Upstate Forever will continue to monitor this situation as it progresses. Stay tuned for updates.
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