10/7/26: A data center in Massena? | Story of the Day
North Country Collocation Services is proposing a 1.5 million-square-foot, 635-megawatt data center near the St. Lawrence River in Massena. Although New York has a statewide data center moratorium, local officials say the project could be exempt because its state permit applications were filed before the moratorium; residents and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe have raised concerns about power costs, water use, pollution and noise.
North Country Collocation Services wants to build a 1.5 million-square-foot, 635-megawatt data center near the St. Lawrence River in Massena, a facility that would use power equivalent to roughly 70% of the output from the nearby Moses-Saunders Dam. The project could become one of New York’s largest data centers and is expected by its developers to create about 200 full-time jobs and support the local economy.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has restricted development of new data centers larger than 50 megawatts while state agencies assess their impacts, but St. Lawrence County planning officials say the project may fall outside the moratorium because its permit applications were submitted in 2020. The Massena Town Board also voted against a local moratorium. The project still faces state and local reviews, including environmental review by the Department of Environmental Conservation. Residents and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe oppose hyperscale data centers, citing potential electricity-rate increases, water consumption, noise and contamination risks, while some residents support the project as an economic opportunity.