Power Use and Infrastructure: Power for the proposed data center will be supplied by Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), following extensive reviews to protect the interests of all customers. ComEd uses a deliberate planning process to guarantee a reliable energy supply for all customers. ComEd confirmed that the local grid is strong enough to handle the data center's requirements, while ensuring that plenty of capacity remains available for residential needs and future growth opportunities without increasing costs for other customers. Relative to other large campus data center developments or “hyperscale” projects, Project Kilo will be a considerably smaller, single building development with lower electricity demand. 

• Data centers are required to pay for the full cost of any new power lines or equipment needed to operate. Data centers sign agreements with utility companies guaranteeing upfront payment for site-specific infrastructure, and long-term agreements that ensure data centers fully pay for their energy usage.

• For Project Kilo specifically, the developer will pay for all required new infrastructure to serve the site, which is expected to be limited. Construction of a new substation or new transmission lines will not be required for Project Kilo. This commitment safeguards public finances while supporting the resiliency of the grid. Additional safeguards are put in place through the contractual requirements in the electric service agreement with ComEd that ensure ComEd and residents do not incur costs because of the Project.

 

Water Use: Project Kilo will not use water for evaporative cooling purposes. The Project is being designed to use a modern closed-loop cooling system, similar to a vehicle radiator, which does not require a continuous water source for cooling. Ongoing water needs are limited primarily to standard domestic needs, such as bathrooms and kitchen facilities. Project Kilo’s anticipated water use is well within the capacity of local systems.

The Project will connect to the Village of South Elgin municipal water system. The Village’s Public Works department dictates the amount of water made available for the Project to utilize, and Project Kilo must design the facility around that available capacity. The Village’s Public Works department prioritizes the needs of local residents and businesses, while protecting future growth. 

The Project is in the early stages of design, so quantities may vary upon completion of design and engineering. The current assumptions for the system’s water use are as follows:

• The system is filled up one time, with approximately 350,000 gallons of water (roughly half of an Olympic sized swimming pool). Should the Village decide the municipal water system cannot accommodate this one-time fill, water can be purchased and trucked in from commercial water vendors elsewhere in the region.

• The water continually cools the data center on a permanent basis. The system does not need to be refilled or flushed, much like the radiator in a car. 

• Ongoing water use will primarily be utilized for standard domestic needs (toilets, sinks, drinking water for employees, humidity control, etc.)

• The Project’s ongoing water use is expected to be between 90,000 and 125,000 gallons per year, roughly equivalent to less than two single family homes in South Elgin. 

 

White Rose Partners will work with local water and wastewater authorities to ensure adherence to all federal, state, and local environmental and wastewater regulations.

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Noise and Vibrations: There are no residual or continuous sounds, vibrations, or any other auditory or physical impacts of having a data center nearby. Data centers do not generate ground vibrations.

 

Project Kilo is required to adhere to all noise regulations established by the State of Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB), which are among the strictest in the nation compared to other states. According to Title 35, Subtitle H (Noise), Chapter I (Pollution Control Board), Part 901 (Sound Emission Standards and Limitations for Property Line Noise Sources), a facility operating in an industrial land use, such as a data center, cannot cause an exceedance of sound levels at any point within a residential, educational, or religious land use during daytime or nighttime hours with established limits set by the IPCB (Source). 

 

• ​Project Kilo's sound impact will be negligible in the context of existing surrounding uses and natural barriers:

  • A rock quarry abuts the site directly to the North

  • IL-25 and industrial uses to the East, generate high volumes of noisy tractor trailer traffic

  • A heavily landscaped nature trail creates a natural barrier to the West, with mature trees in excess of 30 feet tall bordering the property, will shield views and sound from neighboring properties

  • Project Kilo will also plant new trees along the NW edge of the site, increasing the existing barrier, which would significantly mitigate any potential sound generated on-site

• Due to state-of-the-art equipment with internal sound dampening features, physical sound barriers surrounding all exterior equipment to reduce sound transmission, and landscape buffers, including mature trees and shrubs for both sound and aesthetics, sound impact will be negligible to neighboring properties.

• Based on a study conducted by an acoustic engineering consultant, which measured sound levels at each corner of the property over a 24-hour period, existing average sound levels are between 53 and 72 decibels. Heavy truck traffic and activity at the adjacent rock quarry generated most of the ambient noise on the site as it exists today. See comparative chart below:

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• A sound model using the data center’s conceptual design and equipment specs was developed and analyzed to evaluate what the facility would generate if developed. The projected sound produced by the facility measured approximately 30 to 35 dB(A) at the property boundary, the equivalent of a little over a whisper during typical operations.

• Even in a “worst case” emergency scenario, the noise levels would still be below the current low-end of 53dB(A) observed on the property in its current state. These levels are well within the required thresholds established by the IPCB for noise emissions standards. Click here for link to the projected sound study.

• Backup generators are only tested for maintenance purposes in small groups, for minutes at a time, and never at night. Typical annual maintenance and testing run hours for each generator is considerably less than the 100 hours per year by State and Federal regulations. Emergency utility outages are the only events that require more extended operation, and even in these scenarios, noise levels are well beneath the current conditions on-site.​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Views: The facility has been designed to reflect the character of South Elgin, with architectural detailing, materials, and landscaping that align with local design standards and the surrounding built environment. Our goal is a building that feels like a natural fit for the community, not just another industrial box. Here are renderings of the view of the data center from the adjacent roads:​​​