'We're going to have major issues.' Kenilworth residents push back against AI data center under construction
CoreWeave, a company that specializes in AI infrastructure, purchased a large portion of property on the campus in 2025 to build the center.
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A $1.8 billion artificial intelligence data center under construction in Kenilworth is facing pushback from residents.
The project is located at the Northeast Science and Technology Center (NEST) campus. The old Merck & Co. building will house the data center.
CoreWeave, a company that specializes in AI infrastructure, purchased a large portion of property on the campus in 2025 to build the center.
Despite the Kenilworth Borough Council's approval of the project, it has largely flown under the radar until recently.
"Social media, that's the only way you'll hear about it here even though we're only 200 yards from the location," said Union County resident Brent Krueger.
Some residents told News 12 they're concerned about having a data center built near their homes. They mentioned concerns about water quality, flood risk and a potential increase in their electric bill.
"We're going to have major issues with the water in the future, with so many data centers being built. It's just not possible. We cannot sustain it. They're destroying the earth," said Union County resident Rosa Joseph.
Neighbors even circulated a petition to stop the construction, with over 1,500 signatures as of Sunday night.
"Hopefully, this can happen. We still have time," Joseph said.
Kenilworth Mayor Linda Karlovitch, however, said residents shouldn't see much of a difference, if any at all, once the center is operational.
"CoreWeave will be paying sales tax on the power, funding all required transmission upgrades. Those costs will not be passed on to residential rate payers," she said. "I want people to know they're using a closed loop cooling system and it avoids continuous use of local water."
Karlovitch told News 12 the borough is expecting significant economic payoff from CoreWeave's investment, including over 140 jobs.
"When Merck left, it left a real gap in jobs, in tax revenue, and CoreWeave is filling that gap and building something for the future," she said.
The facility is required to bring at least 100 jobs as part of a tax credit it received from the state in 2025.
Karlovitch said the project is estimated to be completed by the end of 2027.
The mayor said she wants residents to know that Coreweave has their own power source on the property and will not be tapping into the residential grid.
"PSE&G has been a partner from the start, committing to infrastructure and conducting load studies to ensure Coreweave won’t impact the local grid," she said.
The Kenilworth planning board will meet on April 28 and the data center is on the docket.
State officials introduced legislation this session that would regulate how facilities like the Kenilworth center can source their power, but it hasn't been passed as of April 19.
