Jacksonville City Council members, JEA, planners answer residents’ data center questions

Jacksonville leaders are discussing how a hyperscale data center could affect the city’s power, water and residents, as JEA says it has received 50 inquiries about data centers.JEA does not currently have the capacity to serve a hyperscale facility, which typically requires at least 50 megawatts of power. The utility operates six data centers, but none are considered hyperscale.RELATED: What to know about data centers in Florida: Power, water, local control and the new lawCity Council members, JEA officials and city planners answered residents’ questions Wednesday about what a large facility could mean for Jacksonville.“At this point, I would just say I’m in the middle. I’m like everyone, just what does it actually mean?” resident John Nooney said.Jordan Pope, JEA’s interim chief administrator, said the utility is not prepared to serve a hyperscale data center today. At a minimum, he said, JEA would need to build a new substation to serve a large-scale facility.If a hyperscale data cen