VINELAND, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — At a town hall on Wednesday night, Vineland residents lined up to grill the CEO of a French company with plans to build a data center in their community.
Charles-Antoine Beyney, CEO of DataOne, told the audience that his company operates differently than some other data companies, and that being a responsible neighbor is a top priority.
“We are extremely transparent,” said Beyney. “We are the first company that’s going to be giving this kind of transparency to the people surrounding us.
Despite his assurances, residents remained skeptical of the project and wanted particulars on water and electricity usage along with the expected impact on the environment.
“Not only are you being very vague here, but you’re being very deceitful by using these bold titles of no water usage and then telling us that you’re going to be tapped into the Vineland public source,” said one resident.
Beyney clarified that DataOne would produce and store 20 million gallons of their own water for the planned data center. He said the company would also pay for its own electricity.
“I’m not only thinking about you guys but our workers as well, and me, when I’m on the site, too,” said Beyney. “I say no freaking way I’m going to do exactly as the entire industry is doing and just killing our communities.”
The data center project is still early in the planning stages, and will require several more state and local permit approvals before construction can begin.