Palm Beach County Denies Project Tango Datacenter Expansion

The Palm Beach County Commission voted 5-1 to deny the expansion of Project Tango, a proposed 600MW hyperscale datacenter. The project, developed by PBA Holdings, Inc., was planned for a 202-acre site near the Florida Everglades to leverage proximity to the West County Energy Center, the largest natural gas power plant in the United States.

Environmentalists and local residents opposed the facility, warning that waste heat could raise water temperatures in the surrounding watershed. Critics argue this thermal pollution could trigger toxic blue-green algae blooms, threatening drinking water and Everglades restoration efforts. While project manager Ernie Cox defended the facility's closed-loop cooling system as a means to reduce water consumption, the Western Palm Beach Community Alliance and other local bodies cited concerns over noise, traffic, and electricity costs.

Local officials are now scheduled to vote next month on a moratorium against large-scale datacenters in the region.