It was a revenue-generating power plant. Bow residents worry a data center could be next.
Residents in Bow, New Hampshire, are strongly opposing the potential development of a hyperscale data center on the former Merrimack Station site, citing environmental and quality-of-life concerns. The local selectboard held a public meeting to address these fears, while New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte has announced plans to propose a statewide data center moratorium. An assessment for a 350-megawatt project on the land, owned by Granite State Power, is being conducted by Eversource.
Residents of Bow, New Hampshire, voiced overwhelming opposition to a proposed hyperscale data center at a recent selectboard meeting. The potential project would be located on the former Merrimack Station property, New England's last coal power plant, which closed in 2025.
The prospect came to light after public records revealed Eversource, the state's largest utility, agreed in April to assess the viability of a 350-megawatt data center project on the land for its owner, Granite State Power. State consumer advocate Don Kreis also posted on X in August about a meeting between state energy officials and Eversource regarding a 200-megawatt data center in Bow.
Bow Selectboard chair Kip McDaniel clarified that while no application has been submitted, the town's planning board would have jurisdiction if one were filed. Residents, including those protesting with the climate activist group 350NH, expressed concerns about environmental degradation, noise, water, air pollution, and potential impacts on property values. The financial impact on property taxes, which were historically kept low by Merrimack Station, remains unclear.
Amidst the debate, Governor Kelly Ayotte has declared her opposition to any data center development in New Hampshire and announced intentions to propose a statewide data center construction moratorium in her 2027 budget. This follows similar debates and actions in other New Hampshire communities, such as Nottingham, which enacted a year-long moratorium, and Rochester, which is taking steps to discourage development.