5 data center projects in Salem Township
Who decides here: the Township Supervisors (in some larger townships, the Board of Commissioners) of Salem Township votes on zoning. The Luzerne County Planning Commission usually reviews big projects too.
In Salem Township
Amazon (AWS) Salem Township campus next to Susquehanna nuclear plant
Salem Township, Luzerne County
1,600 acres · for Amazon
🕒 Aug 5, 2026: SRBC staff inspected the campus and found no water-rule violations.
Built & runningNautilus Cryptomine (bitcoin mining at Susquehanna nuclear plant)
Salem Township, Luzerne County
for Bitcoin mining
🕒 Oct 2024: TeraWulf sold its 25% share of the Nautilus mine to a Talen Energy company for about $92…
Approved, not built yetQTS data center campus (Salem 2), Salem Township
Salem Township, Luzerne County
1,700 acres
🕒 Aug 22, 2026: Developers said construction is planned to begin in late 2026.
ProposedSalem 3 data center campus (4-3 Glennbrook Group)
Salem Township, Luzerne County
4,466 acres
🕒 Sept 24, 2026: After a judge ordered a re-hearing, the Planning Commission recommended it again (third …
ProposedSalem 4 data center site (Moores 109 LLC, Salem Township)
Salem Township, Luzerne County
185 acres
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Nearby (within 15 miles)
Nescopeck / Valley View Wood data center (Nescopeck Township)
Nescopeck Township, Luzerne County
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Proposedabout 6 miles awayHollenback Township landowner rezoning for data centers
Hollenback Township, Luzerne County
460 acres
🕒 Sept 18, 2026: The Times-Tribune listed the Hollenback request (11 data centers on 460 acres) with the …
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Status unclearabout 9 miles awaySugarloaf Township data center (Tomhicken Road)
Sugarloaf Township, Luzerne County
185 acres
🕒 Sept 18, 2026: The Times-Tribune listed the LBT Sugarloaf project (6 buildings, 185 acres) as seeking a…
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Proposedabout 9 miles awayOutrigger data center (Mifflin Township, Columbia County)
Mifflin Township, Columbia County
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Approved, not built yetabout 9 miles awayFit Energy fuel cell power and data center project (Newport Township)
Newport Township, Luzerne County
1,386 acres
🕒 Oct 6, 2026: Fit Energy announced a fuel cell power and data center project on former mining land, wi…
Proposedabout 10 miles awayHunlock Creek power plant data center idea (Castleton Commodities, Hunlock Township)
Hunlock Township, Luzerne County
🕒 Sept 2026: News roundup reported that Shell Energy North America is buying the 169 MW Hunlock Creek…
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Salem Township Board of Supervisors. We don't know yet if QTS data center campus (Salem 2), Salem Township is on the agenda. Call the office to check before you go.
Local votes and rules
🗺️ Zoning change · Luzerne County
Luzerne County is writing data center rules for the 19 towns that use county zoning. Every data center would need a special exception from the county zoning hearing board. The planning commission recommended it in May 2026 and meets Oct. 8 to review new changes from the county law office. County Council must still vote.
🗺️ Zoning change
After a court voided its earlier votes, the Salem Township Planning Commission voted a third time to recommend a larger data center overlay zone. The zone would help a third data center project move forward. Township supervisors make the final decision.
🗺️ Zoning change
Salem Township supervisors scheduled a vote to expand the township's data center overlay zone for the Salem 3 campus, a planned 39-building project on more than 4,000 acres with its own power plant. Residents went to court over meeting notice and limits on public comment.
⚖️ Court case
A Luzerne County judge ruled that the Salem Township Planning Commission broke the state open-meetings law when some people were locked out of a meeting on a data center zoning overlay. Eight residents without a lawyer brought the case. The ruling voided the commission's earlier vote on an overlay for a third data center project, called Salem 3.
✅ Approved
The Salem Township Planning Commission recommended conditional approval of a revised master plan for a QTS data center campus. The new plan cuts the project from 18 buildings to 12 but adds 100 acres. It also involves closing parts of three local roads. Supervisors had approved an earlier master plan.
🤝 Agreement with the company
Salem Township supervisors approved a Blackstone QTS data center campus planned for about 1,700 acres bought from 96 landowners. The township received a $9 million community benefit agreement to pay for emergency medical services, roads and other infrastructure, and town services.
What you can do
- Get told first.
We'll email you if anything changes in Salem Township. - Go to township meetings.
Anyone can speak. Big projects usually need a public hearing. - Ask questions in writing.
Use our checklist.
🔔 Get told first
⚡ Your electric company
Depending on where you live in Salem Township: PPL Electric Utilities Corp. (company) or UGI Utilities, Inc. (company).
Big data centers need a lot of power. Who pays for new power lines depends on state rules. See the rules in Pennsylvania.
🙋 Open tasks here
- What happens to the data centers when the nuclear plant's licenses end (2042-2044)?
- Will new high-voltage power lines be built?
- Did state or local officials sign a secret deal (NDA) with Amazon?
- Has DEP issued Amazon's industrial wastewater permit, and will cooling water go to the Berwick sewer plant or the Susquehanna River?
- Will it be converted to an AI data center?
- How much water and noise does it produce?
- How many megawatts will it use, and where will the power come from?
- How much water will it use? Has it applied to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission?
- Who is the end user?
- Will new high-voltage power lines be built?
- Did township officials sign a secret deal (NDA)?
- Which water company will serve the QTS campus, and how much water will it need to fill its closed-loop cooling systems?
- Who will build and use the campus?
- How much water will it use, and will wells be affected?
- What power lines and power plants would be needed for up to 4 gigawatts?
- On what exact date will supervisors vote?
- Was a secret deal (NDA) signed?
- Where exactly in Salem Township is the 185-acre Salem 4 site?
- Who is behind Moores 109 LLC, and who would use the data center?
- How many buildings and megawatts are planned?
- When will supervisors consider the zoning change?