Pennsylvania Digital I (PAX)

Approved and proceeding in Middlesex Township (near Carlisle), Cumberland County

Current stage

Construction underway under a by-right overlay, with a spot-zoning challenge pending before the zoning hearing board.

Decision body

Middlesex Township (near Carlisle)

Top issues

Residents and officials have focused on the size of the electrical load and what it does to regional capacity costs, the sheer footprint of the buildings, the conversion of open land or farmland, water use, continuous mechanical noise, and emissions from backup generation.

JV: Pennsylvania Data Center Partners (CEO Igal J. Feibush) + PowerHouse Data Centers / American Real Estate Partners (CEO Doug Fleit). 18 buildings (3 campuses × 6); dedicated 450 MW substation each. 17 metro fiber providers + Ashburn peering (largest disclosed PA fiber concentration). $65M+ tax revenue projected (Cumberland Valley SD $45M+, Middlesex Twp $10M+, county $10M+). Zoning amendment introduced April / approved May 30 2025. Middlesex Twp supervisors approved electrical-infrastructure laydown plans early May 2026; attorney announced legal challenge alleging zoning is illegal. 400,000 gpd water cap, no creek discharge. UPDATE (2026-06): Middlesex Twp supervisors opened consideration of the project ('Project Bolt'), described as potentially south-central PA's first hyperscale data center; site has ready tie-ins to existing PPL transmission. Water-supply questions remain a central Pennsylvania Digital I, also called PAX-1 or Project Bolt, is a joint venture of Pennsylvania Data Center Partners and PowerHouse Data Centers on roughly 700 acres off Country Club Road, about five miles northeast of Carlisle. The master plan is three campuses of five to six buildings each, over four million square feet, each campus with a dedicated 450 MW substation, anchored by a new PPL 500 kV to 138 kV switching station, delivering 1.35 GW expandable to 1.8 GW. The developers claim more than $65 million in direct tax revenue including $45 million-plus to Cumberland Valley School District, and 1,400 trades workers at peak construction. A zoning overlay amendment introduced in April 2026 and approved May 30 made data centers a by-right use across 715 acres bordering the Conodoguinet Creek, which forecloses the conditional use hearings that give neighbors a record. The township water authority reserved up to 400,000 gallons per day, which engineers equated to 2,367 dwelling units, against an estimated 910,000 gallons of unused peak capacity. Water rights were secured in January 2026 and a substation approved March 4. In July 2026 attorney Nathan Wolf filed a challenge before the zoning hearing board alleging illegal spot zoning, saying the township singled out this use for the benefit of one user. In August 2026 a supervisors vote was postponed when more than 150 residents exceeded the building's capacity.

• 2026-05-08Middlesex Twp PAX laydown approval; legal challenge announced

• 2026-05-08
  Court challenge Cumberland Co CCP · (unassigned)

  Legal challenge announced post-Middlesex Twp PAX laydown approval.

  PAX opponents · Announced

• 2026-08 CBS21 (WHP)Middlesex Township postpones data center vote after meeting surpasses capacityVote postponed when 150+ residents exceeded building capacity
• 2026-07-06 The Sentinel (Cumberlink)Residents file zoning challenge to PAX-1 data center projectAttorney Nathan Wolf alleges illegal spot zoning before the ZHB
• 2026-06-01 Protect Cumberland County PAMiddlesex Data Center (PAX-1) project trackerOverlay approved May 30 2026 makes data centers a by-right use on 715 acres
• 2026-04-22 Government Technology / The SentinelCumberland County, Pa., Data Centers Take New Step Forward693-acre tract split into three campuses; water authority reserved 400,000 gpd