Maine passes first statewide ban on large data centre construction

In short: Maine lawmakers passed a bill to temporarily stop construction of some large data centres until late 2027.

What happened

Maine has become the first US state to pass a statewide ban on building certain new data centres. Data centres are large buildings filled with computers that store and process online information, like a physical home for the internet.

The bill was sponsored by Democratic state Representative Melanie Sachs. It passed mostly along party lines, with some Republican support, and now goes to Governor Janet Mills to sign.

The measure would block construction of data centres that use at least 20 megawatts of power until late 2027. That is a very large amount of electricity, roughly like a small town’s demand. The pause is meant to give the state time to study environmental and economic impacts.

A spokesperson for Mills told local outlet WMTW that the governor agrees the rapid growth of large AI data centres needs careful review, including impacts on public resources, the environment, and electricity customers. The spokesperson also said Mills supported an exemption for a planned $550 million data centre project in the town of Jay.

Why it matters

Across the US, more communities are pushing back on data centre growth because these facilities can use huge amounts of electricity and water, and can raise questions about noise and local infrastructure. Research firm Data Center Watch said dozens of projects with a combined $156 billion in investment have been blocked by local opposition in the past year. Maine’s decision is being watched as a possible model for other states considering similar pauses.

Source: Financial Times