The Sierra Club is challenging Louisiana’s approval of revised air permits for Meta’s Hyperion data center in Richland Parish, arguing that the facility should have been classified as a major source of air pollution rather than receiving a less restrictive minor source permit, Louisiana Illuminator reports.
The environmental group contends that Meta’s revised permit underestimates the facility’s emissions by excluding emissions from emergency diesel generators.
According to the Sierra Club, including those emissions along with the site’s 44 natural gas water boilers would push the project above the 100-ton annual threshold for a minor source permit. Meta says the diesel generators are intended only for emergency backup use and therefore are not expected to operate continuously, adding that it complies with all federal, state and local air quality and permitting requirements.
The Sierra Club is also urging the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to require on-site air monitoring, consider battery storage as a cleaner alternative and hold a public hearing on the permit revisions.
While the permit covers the data center’s generators, boilers and fuel storage, it does not include emissions from 10 natural gas turbines that Entergy is constructing to power the facility because those emissions will be permitted separately.
Louisiana Illuminator has the full story.
