An Equinix data center in Secaucus, New Jersey, spilled about 5,000 gallons of diesel into a creek connected to the Hackensack River. Reportedly, the spill happened on September 11 at the company’s NY2 facility. Equinix said workers spotted the leak from a fuel storage tank and quickly stopped it.
Almost immediately, a cleanup team was called in. Officials said the diesel entered a nearby creek but did not reach the Hackensack River. Around 3,500 gallons had been recovered during the cleanup. Officials also said they had not seen any effect on local wildlife.
There were different accounts of what caused the leak. Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli first said a computer problem may have caused it. Equinix later said two broken valves used during a routine filtration process were behind the spill. The company said it would provide a full report. In the official statement, the company mentioned, “We regret that this occurred and the concern it caused the community.”
This was not the first data center fuel spill in the area. A facility in Clifton leaked around 600 gallons in 2017. An Equinix site in North Bergen spilled about 1,800 gallons in 2022. The latest incident was much larger.
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The need for backup power is growing as more data centers are being built. According to figures cited in the report, data center diesel generator capacity grew from 20 gigawatts in 2018 to 55 gigawatts in 2024.
The Equinix spill shows that keeping servers running is only one part of data center safety. The systems that protect uptime also need careful handling. A fuel leak may not stop the servers, but it can create a serious problem outside the facility.