KEEL-Linked 75 MW Data Center Wins Conditional Approval in Allentown
Planners in Allentown, Pennsylvania, have given conditional approval to a proposed 75-megawatt data center that Keel Infrastructure (NASDAQ: KEEL) would operate, advancing the project after months of local opposition.
The Allentown Planning Commission approved the development on Oct. 13 after a zoning challenge was withdrawn shortly before the meeting, The Morning Call reported. The challenge had contested the city’s determination that a data center was a permitted use at the site.
Quantm Group is developing the project at 2401 W. Emaus Ave. Applicants identified Keel as the intended operator during a September planning meeting, according to the newspaper. Keel Chief Operating Officer Liam Wilson said the company would lease space to an end-user technology company that had yet to be determined.
The proposal would convert a previously approved 224,000-square-foot warehouse into a data center, with a 23,342-square-foot addition. Plans also include an electrical substation and sound attenuation walls.
The approval carries conditions including noise and air pollution testing, landscaping and a sound wall, the newspaper reported. Quantm also agreed to a fund to compensate residents who successfully establish violations of noise or pollution standards.
Neighbors and activists have raised concerns about noise, air quality and electricity costs. The withdrawn zoning challenge was brought by Camelot for Children, a nearby nonprofit, which disputed the city’s treatment of the project as a permitted use.
Keel’s recruitment materials offer further evidence of its involvement in the area. A recent Allentown job posting sought a senior project manager responsible for delivering its Lehigh Valley data center campus from preconstruction through commissioning, although the posting did not specify the street address.
Former bitcoin miner Bitfarms rebranded as KEEL in April as part of the group’s move to the US and rebranding. The company is pursuing data centers for AI and high-performance computing, building on its energy infrastructure business.
In June, Keel raised $458 million through convertible notes, saying proceeds could fund equipment deposits and support accelerated data center development. It identified Panther Creek, Sharon and Moses Lake as developments its existing liquidity could carry through leasing.
The Allentown decision advances local planning approval. The reviewed sources do not establish Keel’s ownership terms, a signed customer lease or a date when the facility would enter service.
