Bowers Backup Generating Facility

Bowers Backup Generating Facility

Construct a four-story 244,068 square foot data center building, including utility substation, emergency backup generating facilities (the BBGF), surface parking and landscaping and utility pipeline connections on a currently developed 5.12 acre site. The Bowers Data Center would be supplied electricity by Silicon Valley Power (SVP) through a new 72 mega volt-ampere electrical substation to be constructed immediately adjacent to the site as part of the data center. Project elements would also include switchgear and distribution cabling to interconnect the generator yard to the data center. Together these constitute the “project” under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). To provide greater than 99.999 percent reliability, the data center would be supported by uninterruptible power supplied to the project during a utility outage via 32 2.75 megawatt (MW) Tier 4 diesel-fired emergency backup generators. The maximum capacity of the BBGF would be limited to 72 MW. The CEC has the exclusive authority to certify all thermal power plants (50 megawatt [MW] and greater) and related facilities proposed for construction in California. Applicants proposing to construct thermal power plants between 50 and 100 MW may obtain an exemption from the CEC’s jurisdiction and proceed with local permitting rather than requiring CEC certification. Public Resources Code section 25519(c) designates the CEC as lead agency, in accordance with CEQA, for all facilities seeking an exemption. The CEC will not be approving the construction of BBGF, only determining whether the project can be exempted from the CEC’s jurisdiction.

Santa Clara

Santa Clara

Citywide

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bay Delta Region 3 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marin Region 7 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Transportation, District 4 (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Planning (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Energy Commission, California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region 2 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Department of Toxic Substances Control, Office of Historic Preservation, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, Divison of Financial Assistance, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)

California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)

Other (diesel backup generating facility and data center)

General Plan Amendment, lot line adjustment

Aesthetics, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cumulative Effects, Drainage/Absorption, Energy, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mandatory Findings of Significance, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Sewer Capacity, Solid Waste, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems, Vegetation