Why Valora?
During 2025 and 2026, colleagues across our professional network reported growing community pushback against data-center projects across the United States. That prompted us to study the market and understand the concerns driving the opposition.
We started by listening
A data center is more than a building full of computers. It needs reliable power, cooling, water, land, backup systems and supporting infrastructure. Communities understandably want to know how those demands will affect their electricity, water, roads, noise and quality of life.
Governments are responding with new requirements for power connections, water use, emissions, noise, construction and public reporting.
This is where Valora may help. Valora aims to recover heat from the data center and use it to treat impaired water. Instead of simply throwing that heat away, a project may turn it into fresh water that benefits the surrounding community.
Valora is one part of the conversation. Projects still need their own work on grid, water, permits, construction and community commitments.
Six questions
These questions come up in planning. What happens at a site depends on its equipment, size, location, permits and how it operates.
01 · Grid and cost allocation
Large data centres affect generation, transmission, interconnection and system planning. A good project explains its load profile, connection terms and how it will work with the utility and regulator.
02 · Water and resilience
Cooling design shapes a facility’s water needs. A clear plan explains the source, seasonal demand, cooling approach, discharge route and how it fits local water priorities.
03 · Heat and local effects
Nearly all computing power becomes heat. A site can ask whether nearby homes, businesses or water systems could use some of it instead of rejecting it to the environment.
04 · Site interface
Cooling systems, transformers, generators and storage all shape a site’s noise, visual and air story. Communities need a clear equipment plan, thoughtful design and commitments they can see.
05 · Public accountability
Communities want to understand jobs, infrastructure, commitments and the wider effects of development. Clear agreements and visible follow-through build trust.
06 · Construction and planning
Delivery routes, worker traffic, drainage, access and timing all matter. A good plan makes the construction experience more predictable for neighbors and emergency services.
Public outcomes
These examples show conditions, reviews, redesigns and unresolved objections. They are not templates for every location or a finding about a Valora project.
| Record | Publicly established outcome | Release-safe lesson |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland · CRU connection policy | Connection policy considers location, renewable, flexibility and system factors in light of security-of-supply and network constraints. | Grid connection can be conditional and location-specific. |
| Chile · Cerrillos Data Center | The environmental court required reconsideration of climate-change effects on the water component; a redesign proposal removed planned groundwater use. | Water concern can drive redesign and further review. |
| Phoenix area · field study | Measured downwind warming was reported at sampled operating facilities under the study conditions. | One field study is not a universal data-centre heat-island claim. |
| Loudoun County · noise process | Pre-construction and post-occupancy noise studies are required for data centres. | Noise needs a measurable boundary and verification. |
| St. Louis · conditional permit | Conditions addressed heat reporting, equipment enclosure, generator testing and public commitments. | Specific permit conditions are more meaningful than generic promises. |
| Cape Town · reported objection | Objectors sought fuller disclosure; the City stated the application still required evaluation. | This is an unresolved objection, not a finding of impact or denial. |
| Morrow County · development route | A traffic-impact analysis and construction-traffic coordination were required. | Construction impacts require project-specific planning. |
Where Valora can help
Valora starts with clear facts about a site’s heat, water and permits.
Whether heat from computer cooling could be used for a real job.
Whether suitable non-drinking water could be treated with a clear plan for water quality, treatment, leftovers and heat.
Whether grid capacity, cost, backup power, noise, air, land or traffic work for a site. Those are local project and permit decisions.
Public sources
Direct public sources supporting the mechanisms and records described above. Accessed 28 October 2026.
These public sources support general mechanisms, reported records and project-specific outcomes. They do not establish a Valora performance result, an impact finding for a particular site, an affiliation or an endorsement.