Data center opposition grows; company addresses concerns

(The Center Square) – Tennessee Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn added her name to the list of those opposed to a proposed data center near the Nashville Zoo. Atlanta-based DC BLOX is proposing a 70,000-square-foot data center. Blackburn said the placement should be revisited. "Tennessee should be thoughtful and considerate when deciding where data centers are located," Blackburn said in a social media post. "The proposed site near the Nashville Zoo is neither." Blackburn's opposition put her on the same side as state Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville. He opposes the project because of its proximity to Fisk University, a private historically black university. "If it's not good for a zoo, it's not good for an HCBU," Jones said on social media. "If this project was so amazing for universities, Vanderbilt would be building an AI data center on campus." The Nashville Zoo launched a petition calling on residents to oppose the data center. DC BLOX has reached out to officials at the zoo but hasn't received a response, the company said in an email to The Center Square. "We understand that many of the concerns expressed publicly are from 'last generation' data centers and much larger facilities," the company said. "DC BLOX plans on constructing a new state-of-the-art data center using the latest technologies and conforming to the most rigorous industry standards." The data center will use a closed-loop or waterless cooling design that will "significantly reduce water usage compared to more traditional evaporative cooling systems," the company said. Noise tests will also be conducted to ensure that noise from the data facility is at or below current levels. The company also said it will work with the local utility to make sure it pays for any new infrastructure. "The proposed DC BLOX data center project is planned for an Industrial Warehouse District and is an allowable use by-right," the company said. "In fact, the previous tenant was permitted for and operated a data center on the site. When you also consider the zoo's proximity to a railyard in Nashville, Tennessee, that spans 517 acres and is one of the country's top 10 busiest terminals by volume, we are confident that the local impact to animals and neighbors from our facility will be less." The Nashville Metro Council will vote again on a proposed data center moratorium stemming from the DC BLOX proposal at its Tuesday meeting. If it passes, it needs a third approval from the council to take effect. Other Tennessee communities have initiated or are considering data center moratoriums. A moratorium on data centers "would discourage investment and send a signal that the community is closed for business," according to the Data Center Coalition, the industry's membership coalition. Data centers contributed $10 billion to Tennessee's gross domestic product in 2024 and paid $625 million in state and local taxes, the organization said. More than 68,000 Tennesseans are employed in data center-supported jobs, according to the coalition. The data center industry is committed to being a good neighbor in the communities where they operate, said Dan Diorio, Vice President of State Policy for the Data Center Coalition. "Data centers promote responsible water use and prioritize efficient water practices across their operations," Diorio said in an email to The Center Square. "Collectively, the data center industry used significantly less water than other essential industries in 2025, including the agriculture, power, food and beverage, and semiconductor sectors. Data centers are also committed to paying their full cost of service for the electricity they use."