New Jersey fines DataONE $1.07M for running 62 unpermitted gas generators at a 300MW AI data center built for Nebius and Microsoft
WHYY (corroborated by Gothamist, News 12, Ars Technica) / Hacker News (85pts, 28 comments)·medium signal
New Jersey's DEP penalized DataONE after a July 29 inspection of its Vineland site, where 62 stationary generators of 1,982 kW each were running without permits. Any generator above 37 kW needs a preconstruction permit. The facility is being built for Nebius under its $17B Microsoft deal, and the state gave DataONE 45 days to get permits or stop operating. Regulators call it the largest enforcement action ever against a data center in New Jersey, and it shows on-site gas power is how AI capacity is getting around slow grid hookups.