- Maine becomes the first US state to ban large data centers
- A temporary moratorium will restrict power to under 20MW
- A dedicated council will report back on its findings
Maine has passed a new law restricting, and in many cases effectively banning, new data center construction in certain areas.
In doing so, Maine has become the first state to pass such a law, and with many others worried over the environmental impact of data centers, it might just be the first of many.
As well as high energy and water usage, lawmakers are also worried that data center infrastructure might put unreasonably high pressure on the grid.
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Maine imposes tough restrictions on data center buildouts
The temporary moratorium puts a ban on new permits and approvals for data centers with a power load of more than 20MW, but ‘temporary’ is the big factor here, because it will only remain in force until November 1, 2027, when it will automatically be repealed.
The state also wants to establish the Maine Data Center Coordination Council to look into grid reliability, protection against rising energy costs for locals, the environmental impacts and any further economic effects.
This council has been given until February 1, 2027 to report its findings to the Governor, at which point it’s entirely possible that proposals could float to replace the temporary moratorium with a more permanent set of rules.
All of this comes at a time when hyperscalers and data center companies are being pushed for more transparency. Earlier this month, a group of investors urged companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Google to offer up more granular details about data center impacts on a per-campus basis.
As for what’s next, we could start to see similar bans come in not only across the US, but globally. Reports have claimed Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin have already been exploring similar moves.
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