Oakland becomes the latest Bay Area city to approve pause on new data centers
The Oakland City Council unanimously approved a 45-day moratorium on new data center projects. The pause will allow city officials to develop planning and land-use regulations addressing environmental and infrastructure impacts, including electricity concerns.
The Oakland City Council voted 7-0 to impose a 45-day moratorium on new data center projects, temporarily pausing approvals while city staff and council members develop planning and land-use regulations. The proposed rules are intended to address environmental and infrastructure impacts associated with data center development.
Oakland has not experienced a major data center construction boom, in part because of high real estate prices and electricity rates. However, a developer has proposed converting a downtown building that formerly housed a supercomputer into a data center. The action follows similar moratoriums or proposed pauses in San Francisco, Gilroy, Richmond and Oakley, while Hayward is considering its own moratorium.