(FORT WAYNE) - The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has approved Google's request to add more than 140 emergency diesel generators to its Fort Wayne data center campus.
The approval covers 140 additional emergency generators, five smaller units classified as insignificant under state law, 143 diesel storage tanks and 49 cooling towers at the Adams Center Road site.
The request was filed by Google subsidiary Hatchworks LLC as part of the expanding multi-phase data center project.
The permit approval follows months of public concern from nearby residents, who raised questions during a November hearing about environmental impacts and what they described as limited transparency surrounding the larger $2 billion development.
Google says the generators are intended strictly for emergency or backup use, adding that normal day-to-day operations at the data center will continue to be powered through its agreement with Indiana Michigan Power.
The latest approval comes after earlier state permits tied to utility and wetland work supporting the Fort Wayne campus expansion.