BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- For the second night in a row more than 50 residents packed into room 30 of the Massena Town Hall on May 21 as NYDIG officials presented a proposed data center expansion project. 

Though the meeting was strictly intended as an informational presentation by the data mining firm, that didn't stop more than a dozen residents from chiming in with questions throughout the two hour meeting. 

Project Scope

NYDIG official Josh Burandt, head of strategic investments and power at NYDIG, opened the presentation to give a sense of scope and planning. 

Burandt told board members and attendees the project has been in the works "for several years now" and is not a project that just recently popped up. 

The project is sited at the former Alcoa East location where North Country Collocation Services (NCCS) currently operates.

NCCS currently employs around 60 employees and launched a strategic investment partnership with Coinmint in October 2024, a move company officials said would allow for the investment necessary to bring the entire project to fruition. 

As part of the plans, NYDIG would oversee the creation of three facilities, ranging from 450,000 to 515,000 square feet. 

In total, the buildings would total around 1.5 million square feet, Burandt said. 

Attorney Lindsey Haubenreich, who is working with NCCS on the project, clarified the three buildings would be on subdivisions for liability sake. 

In total, NYDIG would retain around 800 acres at the former 1,600 location. Alcoa would retain a large portion of the site as it has been designated a Superfund site and requires constant monitoring and remediation, Haubenreich said. 

In total, plans call for the use of 635 megawatts of power. 

Burandt said the firm had previously negotiated for an allocation of 435MW nearly a decade ago and are currently in discussions for an additional 200MW when the facilities come online. 

Though many have said NYDIG would receive preferential treatment, Burandt said they would be buying power "just like everyone else." 

Public concerns

Despite Planning Board Chair Vance Fleury telling attendees multiple times the meeting was for informational purposes only and that no action would be taken by the board, more than a dozen attendees interrupted NCCS employees with questions. 

When told by Fleury and other board members of the planning process, many questioned why they could not aski questions during the presentation. 

"We have questions now. Why can't we ask them?" one resident was heard saying. 

The crowd was largely hostile toward the project, with no attendees speaking in support of the project. 

Others questioned the scope and feasibility of such a project. 

Burandt said the firm has committed more than $700 million to the site in 2017 and intended to continue strategic investments, which were made possible with the Oct. 2024 partnership. 

Tax breaks sought

When asked if NYDIG was seeking a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program from the County IDA, Burandt confirmed "discussions were ongoing" with the IDA, but he couldn't speak to specifics. 

"If you want to be a good neighbor don't you think you should pay your fair share in taxes? I think you should have to pay more," one resident said. 

When Fleury sought clarification as to why the firm would seek a PILOT, Burandt said it was simply economics. 

"The clients wouldn't come, it's really that simple," he said. 

As a collocation service, NCCS hosts computers and maintains the infrastructure for third parties contracted with the firm. 

The same would be true of the proposed project, which Burandt confirmed would include "millions of dollars in investment" for each building. 

Actual Jobs?

He said the buildings would require 2,000 jobs during the construction phase, which he said would last around 24 months. 

The buildings would be built simultaneously when possible, with each going up in phases. 

"Once the ground work is done, the grading, foundation work and that sort of work, we might see that same crew begin work on the next building while another crew then begins to put the structure up," one NCCS official said. 

That phased work would mean constant construction at the site and significant economic impact. 

Once online, the buildings would be home to around 200 full-time jobs that would be based in Massena, NCCS officials said. 

That figure didn't sit well with some residents who cited stories from 2017 which detailed the scope of jobs intended originally. 

"Coinmint said they would bring 150 jobs but you only have 60 in Massena. Why would we believe you now?" another resident said. 

Burandt clarified that matter as well, saying the jobs promised were based on the utilization of all 435MW of power allocated. 

But as the firm only had access to about 235MW, scaling up the operation to subsequently bring more jobs onboard simply wasn't possible. 

"It was a very different market with very different technology and demands in 2017," he said. 

Environmental concerns

Noise mitigation and environmental concerns were also addressed. 

NYDIG officials said on multiple occasions that barriers would be put in place to mitigate noise, with planning also in place to ensure the structures were as far away from residences as possible. 

Generator use would also be kept at a minimum. 

Originally, plans called for the use of 316 generators, which would be cycled on for around one hour per month throughout the year. 

Burandt said those concerns were addressed with a new plan that would call for 115 generators to be on site. 

He said NYDIG also changed plans for the cooling system, noting they are now planning a closed loop system that would not take in or discharge any water. Original plans called for use of the St. Lawrence River, a design that would have taken in 2.7 million gallons per day, while discharging 1.1 million gallons back into the river after being treated. 

NYDIG officials said they "heard residents' concerns" and wanted to address them immediately.

"We want to be a good neighbor and that is why we want to have clear and open dialogue with everyone," Burandt said. 

To do so, he said NYDIG officials were following all protocols and regulations, would continue to field questions from the public, take meetings with stakeholders and post all information, updates and documentation related to the project on a website for everyone to see. 

Planning board members said they too would share all documentation and updates on the town's website, massena.us, so residents would have access to all information. 

Fleury clarified the next steps would be for the planning board to weigh in on the project, to ask questions and make suggestions to NYDIG officials. 

A public hearing will then be scheduled, at which time the public will be able to weigh-in as well, he said. 

"We welcome everyone to attend and to ask any questions you may have. We look forward to that process with you all," Burandt said.