PIRG Wants a Two-Year Pause on Big Data Centers
PIRG is advocating for a two-year moratorium on data centers consuming 50 megawatts or more in Rhode Island, citing concerns about electricity and water use. This push coincides with a local dispute in Smithfield where a proposed corporate complex that could include data centers is facing a procedural challenge regarding its application's completeness and conflicts with a new town ordinance prohibiting data centers. State legislative efforts to address data center costs and water reporting did not pass this year.
The Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) has called for a two-year statewide moratorium on new data centers consuming 50 megawatts or more in Rhode Island. The advocacy group's demand is prompted by concerns over electricity demand, water consumption, noise, and land use, urging governments to develop appropriate regulations before further construction. This push coincides with a local dispute in Smithfield, Rhode Island, where applicants Hanton City Investments LLC and ROK LLC are appealing an administrative officer's finding that their "Smithfield Corporate Complex" master plan application, which could include data centers, was incomplete.
The timing of the application is critical, as Smithfield's Town Council voted to prohibit data centers in all zoning districts on May 5, while Hanton City's application was reportedly filed either the day before or on the same day. Town Planning Director Gregory Guertin asserts the proposal would require a use variance under the amended zoning, while the project's attorney, Nick Nybo, argues it should be allowed by right. The current appeal is procedural, not a vote on the project itself.
Meanwhile, state lawmakers, including Rep. Brian Kennedy and Sen. Louis DiPalma, introduced bills (H7331 and S2776) earlier this year to mandate that large data centers bear their full grid-upgrade and operating costs, and to require annual water use reporting. However, neither bill passed into law. Rhode Island Energy has indicated that future data center costs would be reviewed separately from current rate cases. National reports, like one from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, project significant increases in data center electricity consumption nationwide by 2030, intensifying concerns about grid strain and environmental impact.