The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services granted an air permit on September 18 for NorthMark and Valara to expand natural-gas power generation at their Pine Street data center in Spartanburg. The approval has drawn opposition from nearby residents and the Southern Environmental Law Center.
The permit allows construction of 11 natural gas turbines that will add 408 megawatts of generating capacity. The facility had previously received permission for 48 megawatts using natural gas generators. The source report describes the full project as a 457-megawatt development; those reported figures are not presented here as an independently reconciled total.
Valara must submit quarterly emissions reports during the first year of operation. In subsequent years, reporting can move to twice annually if emissions stay below 80 percent of the permitted limits. Exceeding that threshold would require quarterly reports again.
The permit sets a rolling 12-month limit of 250 tons for volatile organic compounds. Hazardous air pollutants are limited to 25 tons combined, with no individual hazardous pollutant exceeding 10 tons. The facility projects fine-particulate emissions of 35.88 pounds per hour. NorthMark told regulators that the plant would not operate continuously or always use its full generating capacity.
NorthMark spokesperson Sarah Knox said the company welcomed permission to complete the build-out and would follow the permit requirements. Southern Environmental Law Center senior attorney Catherine Wannamaker criticized the approval, citing concerns about formaldehyde, particulate matter and residents’ health.
The environmental law center also represents residents in a separate lawsuit challenging Spartanburg County’s land-development permitting. That dispute concerns whether the project should have been treated as a major development requiring additional planning review and public input.
Correction: An earlier version incorrectly placed the site near Columbia-area roads and misstated the permitting agency, permit date, turbine details and a spokesperson’s role. This version corrects those errors using the source report.