Bow residents push for town vote on data center moratorium
Bow residents petitioned for a town-wide vote on a proposed one-year moratorium that would pause data center permitting and construction. The petition targets a potential 350-megawatt data center at the closed Merrimack Station power plant, and the Bow Planning Board voted to refine the ordinance and hold a public hearing.
More than 800 Bow voters signed a petition seeking a town-wide vote on a proposed ordinance that would halt data center permitting and construction for at least one year. Residents cited potential health, noise and environmental impacts and said the pause would allow time for further study.
The Bow Planning Board unanimously agreed to discuss and refine the proposal and schedule a public hearing for Dec. 3. The effort follows protests over a possible data center at the shuttered Merrimack Station power plant, which is owned by Granite Shore Power. The company has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to discuss connecting a 350-megawatt project to the regional grid, although no developer has filed a formal application with the town.