Thane AI data centre will make city unliveable: Aaditya Thackeray

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday said the proposed AI data centre in Balkum Pada will render Thane unliveable, as he met residents protesting the Thane Ring Metro and the SGNP Master plan.

Thackeray claimed the facility would subject residents to noise levels above 95 dB, along with heat emissions from cooling plants. He added that the centre would draw high electricity and water, and would rely on 93 diesel generators with a backup of 5 lakh tonnes of diesel. He demanded that the project be relocated to an industrial zone designated as a 'red industry' area.

The protest comes amid months of opposition from Thane residents to the proposed Amazon project, valued at ₹7,203.29 crore and spread over 53.73 acres. The citizen group 'Wake-up Thanekar' has flagged vague project details, numerical discrepancies, lack of public consultation, and missing information on operational factors.

Anuradha, a Balkum Pada resident, said appeals to ministers and bureaucrats to shift the site have gone unanswered. She noted that explaining the resource demands of an AI data centre, as opposed to a traditional one, has been a challenge. She said the centre would require electricity equivalent to the consumption of 6 lakh households and diesel storage of 5-6 lakh tonnes, which she called deadly for a residential area.

In October 2022, Amazon Data Services India purchased 54 acres from Kalpataru's subsidiary Ananta Landmarks for about ₹1,870 crore, paying ₹130 crore in stamp duty. In June 2024, it applied for environmental clearances under the 'Townships, Area Development Projects and Rehabilitation Centres' category of the EIA Notification 2006.