People report strong natural gas odor near far West Side data center

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – While concerns about data centers grow across South Texas, including water and energy use, some residents on the far West Side of Bexar County said they are dealing with a different problem: a strong natural gas odor.

Sarah Forsythe said she moved into her home at Texas Research Park near State Highway 211 and Potranco Road to enjoy the area’s open space and fresh air. Instead, she said, she began smelling a foul odor while playing with her granddaughter on the neighborhood’s playground.

“Oh my God, what is that awful? Oh my God, that’s natural gas,” Forsythe said.

Forsythe said residents were not told that Vantage Data Centers was building a facility next door. It appears the center is still under construction.

According to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration, the facility, once complete, will be 432,800 square feet, and produce 96 megawatts of critical IT capacity. Construction costs exceed $276 million.

“There was no notice, no letter, no big board to say, ‘Hey, by the way, we got permits,’ nothing,” she said. “And that was it, and it’s been a roller coaster.”

Other residents also reported concerns. Messages shared with KSAT included complaints about “strong gas odors” and worries about possible gas leaks.

Stuart Pennington, a representative for the neighborhood’s homeowners association, said residents described the smell as “strong enough to make people violently nauseous.”

Pennington said he contacted the company.

“The company came out and informed us that this site is one of a few sites where they are injecting the chemical that gives natural gas its smell,” Pennington said in a statement to KSAT. “However, when it was set up, there was a gross error in the amount being used. So they are injecting far too much and apparently that was causing the smell.”

Pennington said he has not heard additional complaints since contacting the company.

Mark Freeman, vice president of global marketing with Vantage Data Centers, said the facility uses natural gas infrastructure but was “not aware of any incident at the site that has posed a risk to the surrounding community.”

“Vantage takes the concerns of our neighbors seriously and is committed to operating safely, responsibly and in compliance with applicable environmental, health and safety requirements.

“Our campus includes natural gas infrastructure and emergency backup generators typical of mission-critical data center operations. These systems are subject to applicable permitting, inspection, maintenance and safety procedures, including operational monitoring, routine testing, employee training and emergency-response protocols.

“We are not aware of any incident at the site that has posed a risk to the surrounding community. Vantage remains committed to being a responsible community partner, listening to residents’ concerns and engaging constructively with local officials and stakeholders.”

Mark Freeman with Vantage Data Centers

Forsythe said she hopes the company will communicate more openly with nearby residents.

“We’ve just tried to talk and be friendly, but it’s not going both ways,” she said. “It’s really not.”

KSAT reached out to CPS energy to see if there have been any reports of natural gas leaks or a smell in the last year, but has not heard back yet.

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