Niagara Falls Project Answers the Concerns Behind New York’s Data Center Moratorium
A $1.5 billion Niagara Digital Campus is proposed for Niagara Falls, New York, by Niagara Falls Redevelopment and Urbacon. The project, which includes building its own substation and using existing hydropower, aims to provide significant economic benefits and directly addresses concerns raised by Governor Hochul's Executive Order 62, which paused state environmental permits for large data centers.
Niagara Falls Redevelopment, in partnership with Toronto-based data center builder Urbacon, has proposed the $1.5 billion Niagara Digital Campus on 53 acres in Niagara Falls, New York. This privately funded project, which secured a settlement with the Niagara Falls City Council on June 3 for NFR to design, construct, and operate its own electrical substation, is positioned to create 550 permanent jobs and generate over $400 million in tax revenue.
The project directly responds to Governor Kathy Hochul's Executive Order 62, signed on July 14, which enacted a pause on state environmental permits for large data centers. Project consultants and developers emphasize that the Niagara Digital Campus will draw on existing, carbon-free hydropower from the nearby Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant, which generates 18 times the campus's projected power needs, thus not requiring new supply or plants.
An economic impact analysis by MRB Group forecasts $414 million in new tax revenue over 20 years for the City of Niagara Falls, Niagara County, and New York State. The project also highlights Niagara Falls' designation as a Disadvantaged Community, suggesting the data center will provide much-needed economic opportunity. The Department of Public Service is preparing a Generic Environmental Impact Statement as directed by EO 62, a process not affecting local permits, and NFR states it will meet the site-specific environmental review requirements.