As Data Centers Look to Rural New England, Maine Considers a Moratorium

Maine is considering a statewide moratorium on data center development as local communities, such as Wiscasset, have pushed back on proposals due to concerns over electricity prices, grid reliability, and water usage. The state legislature is debating a bill that would establish a data center coordination council and potentially impose a moratorium on data centers over 20MW until 2028, though some lawmakers oppose it due to a proposed $300 million AI data center project in their district.