Iron City No. 1 Compute Center (Iron City Wells, Karthaus Township)
Karthaus Township, Clearfield County
Iron City Wells, LLC has a DEP air plan approval for 15 natural gas generators to power a compute center off Paul Hoffman Road in Karthaus Township, and its size, operator of the computers and workload haven't been made public.
The project by the numbers
State approves 15 gas generators for an Iron City Wells compute center on a Karthaus Township gas well pad
- Developer
- Iron City Wells, LLC, a Pennsylvania gas well operator with a Saxonburg mailing address. Its owners and managers aren't named in any record we found.
- Tenant
- None named. The company hasn't said who will use the computing capacity or for what.
- Current stage
- DEP issued the air plan approval on January 16, 2026, and it runs to July 15, 2027. A research submission we received reports a July 2026 DEP notice of violation for failing to obtain plan approval for construction or reactivation of air sources, followed by an October 16, 2026 inspection with no violations noted. We found no township zoning or land development filing, and no source confirms the generators or computers are running.
- Decision body
- Pennsylvania DEP Northcentral Regional Office (air quality). No township or county land use decision has been found.
- Top issues
- Air emissions from 15 gas generators, reuse of a long-idle gas well pad, lack of public information on size and workload, and a 2026 DEP notice of violation.
How we got here
May 28, 2025: Clearfield County Planning Commission agenda logs Iron City Wells' notice for an air authorization for Iron City #1. June 23, 2025: DEP receives the application. January 16, 2026: DEP issues the plan approval. January 31, 2026: notice published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. July 1, 2026: DEP inspection finds an administrative violation (per package). July 9, 2026: notice of violation (per package). October 16, 2026: DEP inspection notes no violations (per package). July 15, 2027: plan approval expires unless extended.
How it has unfolded
- 2025-05-28The Clearfield County Planning Commission agenda records Iron City Wells' notice that it's seeking a DEP air plan approval and state-only permit for Iron City #1 in Karthaus Township. Clearfield County
- 2025-06-23DEP receives the air plan approval application. The Energy Mag
- 2026-01-16DEP issues the air plan approval for 15 natural gas generators. The Energy Mag
- 2026-01-31Notice of the approval is published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. PA Environment Digest Blog
- 2026-07-01A DEP inspection records an administrative violation for failing to obtain plan approval for construction, modification or reactivation of air sources (reported by a research submission we received). Pennsylvania DEP
- 2026-07-09DEP issues a notice of violation tied to the July 1 inspection (reported by a research submission we received). Pennsylvania DEP
- 2026-10-16A routine DEP inspection notes no violations (reported by a research submission we received). Pennsylvania DEP
Filings and legal actions
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2026-07-09
DEP notice of violation (air quality)
Administrative violation under 25 Pa. Code 127.11 for failing to obtain plan approval for construction, modification or reactivation of air sources, found at a July 1, 2026 inspection. Reported from eFACTS in a research submission we received; we couldn't open the page.
Pennsylvania DEP; Iron City Wells, LLC · No penalty or resolution shown; October 16, 2026 inspection noted no violations
Coverage of this project
- 2026-02-03 The Energy MagPennsylvania Approves 15 On-Site Gas Generators Backing AI Data Center in ClearfieldGives the application, issue and expiration dates and the emissions caps.
- 2026-01-30 PA Environment Digest BlogDEP Issues Air Quality Permit For 15 Natural Gas Generators (headline continues; full text not captured)Reports the plan approval, the emissions caps and the DEP contact, and describes the generators as powering an Iron City Wells A.I. data center.
Sources
- Clearfield County Planning Commission agenda, May 28, 2025
- Pennsylvania Approves 15 On-Site Gas Generators Backing AI Data Center in Clearfield
- DEP Issues Air Quality Permit For 15 Natural Gas Generators (PA Environment Digest Blog post on the Iron City Wells approval in Karthaus Township)
- eFACTS violation and enforcement details for inspection 4231879 (cited in a research submission we received; not independently opened)
- eFACTS site 881207: Iron City #1 (cited in a research submission we received; DEP's site blocked our fetch, so not independently opened)
Know your rights
In Pennsylvania, the local zoning ordinance sets the route. A conditional use is decided by the elected governing body (supervisors, commissioners or council). A special exception or variance, and an appeal of a zoning officer’s decision, go to the Zoning Hearing Board. Each is a public hearing on a record: affected neighbors can ask for party status, cross-examine witnesses, and appeal. Municipalities can also adopt data center ordinances with enforceable standards.
Know your rights →Take action
Organized community opposition is the single most effective check on these projects in Pennsylvania. Show up to hearings, submit comment when it is taken, support legal and expert-witness costs, and press your municipality for a real ordinance. Pennsylvania municipalities cannot simply freeze applications, but a curative amendment under the Planning Code gives them a defined window to fix a defective ordinance.
How communities push back →