New Jersey Fines Microsoft-Linked Data Center $1.07 Million for Illegal Generator Operation
State regulators have penalized DataOne's Vineland facility with a record fine for running 62 unpermitted portable generators, with a 45-day shutdown order in place.
Though substantial in absolute terms, the $1.07 million penalty represents a modest expense for infrastructure of this scale. The DataOne facility in Vineland, New Jersey, now faces this record-setting fine after authorities discovered it was operating unpermitted portable generators at its construction site. According to reporting by the New York Times, state inspectors identified 62 such units supplying power to the site during an inspection in late July. The discovery followed earlier complaints from local residents who had raised concerns at a February town hall meeting.
When inspectors first visited the site in December of the previous year, no generators were present, according to their account. Yet residents pointed to satellite imagery from February showing what they characterized as "some type of unit" at the location, which prompted them to voice their grievances during the community meeting.
The Vineland community has lodged numerous objections to the data center project beyond the generator violation. Grievances include the unauthorized construction of a 1.5-million-gallon liquefied natural gas tank and excessive noise pollution, particularly during evening hours, affecting residential areas within a half-mile of the construction zone. Residents have also criticized the lack of meaningful public engagement prior to the project's launch, noting they only became aware of the data center's existence after Microsoft announced its $33 billion partnership with Nebius, which subsequently engaged DataOne to furnish computational resources.