- Maine becomes the first US state to ban large data centers
- A temporary moratorium will limit the current to below 20 MW
- A dedicated council will report back on its findings
Maine has passed a new law that limits, and in many cases effectively bans, 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 concerned about the environmental impact of data centers, it may just be the first of many.
In addition to high energy and water consumption, lawmakers are also concerned that data center infrastructure can put undue pressure on the grid.
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Maine imposes strict restrictions on data center construction
The temporary moratorium bans 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 be automatically revoked.
The state also wants to establish the Maine Data Center Coordination Council to look at grid reliability, protection against rising energy costs for local residents, environmental impacts and any additional economic impacts.
That council has been given until February 1, 2027 to report its findings to the governor, after which it is entirely possible that proposals could float to replace the temporary moratorium with a more permanent set of rules.
All this comes at a time when hyperscalers and data center companies are being pushed for more transparency. Earlier this month, a group of investors called on companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google to provide more detailed information on data center impacts per year. campus.
As for what’s next, we may start to see similar bans coming in not just across the US, but globally. Reports have claimed that Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin have already explored similar moves.
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