Army Corps Permits Data Center Development Near Former Stuart Power Plant

A federal permit cleared the way last month for a large data center to rise near the former Stuart power plant in Adams County, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signing off on wetland and natural resource impacts under Nationwide Permit No. 39.

The Corps verified the permit on Feb. 18, attaching 11 special conditions to the authorization. Nationwide Permit 39 covers commercial and institutional developments that affect waters of the United States, including wetlands, making it a standard but significant regulatory hurdle for large-scale construction projects on sites like the former Stuart property.

The Stuart power plant, a longtime fixture of Adams County's industrial landscape, has sat idle since its closure and has drawn interest from developers eyeing its substantial acreage and existing infrastructure, including proximity to high-voltage transmission lines that data centers require in enormous quantities. Large-scale data facilities typically consume tens of megawatts of power and demand robust grid connections, making former power plant sites increasingly attractive to the technology industry nationwide.

The 11 special conditions attached to the Corps permit signal that regulators identified specific environmental concerns tied to the site. Under Nationwide Permit 39, such conditions commonly address stormwater management, limits on fill material in wetland areas, mitigation requirements, and post-construction monitoring, though the exact terms of the Adams County authorization were not fully detailed in available records.

The permit represents one layer of regulatory approval in what is typically a multi-agency process for developments of this scale. State environmental sign-offs, local zoning decisions, and utility agreements would still factor into whether and when construction moves forward near the former Stuart site.