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Data centers

Data centers and your town: the facts.

What a data center uses, pays and brings, from public records and named reports, with how solid each number is. For residents and officials weighing one, and for the companies that need to make the case.

  • 1,047
    U.S. data center projects tracked in 43 states
  • 27
    of them blocked or paused
  • 231
    local or state moratoria in force or being decided
  • 35
    ballot measures on data centers decided so far

From Spezia's tracker, researched 2026-11-09. Projects found in public sources, not every project in the market. How it is built.

How much electricity do data centers use?

How much electricity does AI use, from one prompt to the grid →

Will a data center raise my electricity bill?

  • $29.4 billion, 46.2%Estimate

    PJM's independent market monitor attributes $29.4 billion, 46.2% of capacity charges over four auctions, to data center load. That is a modeled wholesale charge, not a household bill.

    Monitoring Analytics, PJM's independent market monitor, July 27, 2026 ↗
  • Load growth linked to lower average prices in most statesEstimate

    A national study of all-sector prices after inflation, 2019 to 2025, found load growth linked to falling average prices in most states, and named gas, capacity prices, wires and storms as drivers of 2025's rise. The link for households is less clear.

    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Brattle, March 2026 ↗
  • $14 to $37 a month by 2040Estimate

    Virginia's state auditor estimated a typical Dominion household's generation and transmission costs could rise $14 to $37 a month (in today's dollars) by 2040 from data center growth, and found data centers then paid their full cost of service.

    Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), December 9, 2024 ↗
  • 85% and 60% minimum chargesMeasured

    Virginia's regulator put data centers of 25 MW or more in their own Dominion rate class from 2027: 14-year contracts, minimum charges of 85% of contracted demand for wires and 60% for generation, and an exit fee, so a site that leaves early still pays.

    Virginia State Corporation Commission, November 25, 2025 ↗
  • At least 85% for up to 12 yearsCompany's own figure

    Ohio's regulator approved AEP Ohio's tariff requiring new large data centers to pay for at least 85% of the power they subscribe to, for up to 12 years.

    AEP, July 9, 2025 ↗
  • Data centers +29%, homes -1.3%Company's own figure

    In Oregon, after a 2025 law, Portland General Electric's July 2026 rates raised data centers 29% and cut residential rates 1.3%.

    Portland General Electric, July 2026 ↗
  • About $5 a month backCompany's own figure

    Indiana's NIPSCO plans to pass $57.5 million of data center revenue to existing customers, about $5 a month for 18 months for an average home, pending regulatory approval.

    NiSource, October 28, 2026 ↗
  • 18.16 cents a kWh, +3.4%Measured

    The U.S. average residential price was 18.16 cents per kilowatt-hour in August 2026, 3.4% above August 2025.

    U.S. Energy Information Administration, October 2026 ↗

Do data centers raise your electricity bill? The full evidence →

How much water does a data center use?

  • 66 billion liters on siteEstimate

    U.S. data centers consumed about 66 billion liters (17.4 billion gallons) of water on site in 2023, 84% of it at hyperscale and colocation sites.

    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, December 2024 ↗
  • About 800 billion liters at power plantsEstimate

    Making their 2023 electricity used nearly 800 billion liters at power plants, about 12 times the on-site figure. The report leaves out power bought by contract and on-site generation.

    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, December 2024 ↗
  • 6.7 million gallons a year, or 243 millionMeasured

    In Virginia, most data center buildings used about as much water as a large office building (6.7 million gallons a year) or less in 2023, but 11 used over 50 million gallons and one used 243 million.

    Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), December 9, 2024 ↗
  • 2.1 billion gallons, under 0.5%Measured

    Virginia's whole data center industry used about 2.1 billion gallons in 2023, just over a third of it reclaimed water and under 0.5% of the state's withdrawals. The auditor called it sustainable now but growing.

    Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), December 9, 2024 ↗
  • From 0.1 to 1,346 million gallons a siteCompany's own figure

    Google's 2025 water use ranged from 1,346 million gallons at Council Bluffs, Iowa (about 3.7 million a day) to 0.1 million at its air-cooled Pflugerville, Texas site.

    Google, June 30, 2026 ↗
  • 125 million liters a year avoidedCompany's own figure

    Microsoft says every design since August 2024 uses closed-loop chip cooling and avoids more than 125 million liters a year per data center, at the cost of some extra electricity. The first sites open in late 2027.

    Microsoft, December 9, 2024 ↗

How many jobs does a data center bring?

What does a town get in taxes?

What about noise and backup generators?

Which data centers are the most efficient?

  • 1.54 average PUECompany's own figure

    The industry's average power usage effectiveness (total power over computing power) was 1.54 in 2025, little changed for six years.

    Uptime Institute, as cited in Google's 2026 Environmental Report, July 29, 2025 ↗
  • 1.09 and 1.08Company's own figure

    Google's fleet ran at 1.09 in 2025 and Meta's at 1.08 in 2024: under 10% of power goes to anything but computing.

    Google, June 30, 2026 ↗
  • Cold climate helps less than designCompany's own figure

    Google's site in Hamina, Finland ran at 1.10 in 2025; its Lancaster, Ohio site ran at 1.04 and its two Singapore sites at 1.12 and 1.14. Design matters as much as a cold climate.

    Google, June 30, 2026 ↗
  • 0.19 liters per kWhCompany's own figure

    Meta's fleet withdrew 0.19 liters of water per kilowatt-hour of computing in 2024, against an estimated U.S. site average just over 0.36 (the two are measured slightly differently).

    Meta, 2025 ↗

How many projects are blocked, and what do people think?

  • 60% uncomfortableMeasured

    60% of U.S. adults said they would not be comfortable with a new data center in their area, in a survey of 10,548 adults in July and August 2026. Half now see them as mostly bad for home energy costs, up from 38% in January.

    Pew Research Center, September 22, 2026 ↗
  • 71% oppose one nearbyMeasured

    71% of U.S. adults opposed an AI data center in their local area in March 2026, more than the 53% who opposed a local nuclear plant. Opponents named water and energy use most; supporters named jobs.

    Gallup, May 13, 2026 ↗
  • 28% support, 52% opposeMeasured

    Support for a data center near voters' homes fell from 44% in fall 2025 to 28% in February 2026, with 52% opposed.

    Heatmap, February 26, 2026 ↗
  • 76% want them to pay the full costMeasured

    76% of voters backed requiring data centers to pay the full cost of the energy and grid they need. A local data center powered by clean energy scored net +31; new gas or diesel generators beside one scored net -18. The top worry was utility costs (38%), then water (27%). A poll for an advocacy group, so read the message results as directional.

    Global Strategy Group, for the clean-energy coalition America Is All In, May 2026 ↗
  • A $110 million deal rejectedReported

    Frederick County, Maryland's executive rejected a $110 million benefits agreement for a 2,100-acre campus in September 2026 after residents objected that it locked in zoning for 8 years, and extended the county's moratorium. Money alone did not carry it.

    WYPR, September 15, 2026 ↗
  • About $130 billion disruptedEstimate

    Local opposition disrupted at least 75 projects worth about $130 billion in the first quarter of 2026 alone, roughly all of 2025's total, by one tracker's count.

    Data Center Watch, 2026 ↗

Where opposition is stopping projects, and why →

What has won approval elsewhere

The projects that get through tend to answer the town's questions before the hearing, in writing. These are the commitments that answer each concern, with a real case behind each.

  • Pay its own way on power, in writing

    Sign a large-load tariff or contract with minimum charges and an exit fee, and pay for the new lines and plants it needs, so none of it lands in residents' rates.

    Meta's Mason County, Kentucky agreement says no part of the cost to supply its power will be included in other customers' rates. Virginia now requires 85% minimum charges for wires and 60% for generation. Mason County Fiscal Court, Kentucky, October 6, 2026 ↗ · Virginia State Corporation Commission, November 25, 2025 ↗

  • A community benefit agreement with dollar figures

    Put the town's share in a signed agreement: payments to the county and schools, public safety, water and sewer, scholarships, with amounts and dates.

    Swatara Township, Pennsylvania approved a $120.3 million agreement 4 to 1, including two police and fire headquarters. Mason County's agreement pays $5 million a year to the county and $2 million to schools per phase. PennLive, via GovTech, October 9, 2026 ↗ · Mason County Fiscal Court, Kentucky, October 6, 2026 ↗

  • Share the savings on residents' bills

    Pass part of the data center's revenue back as a credit on local residents' bills. It is rare, and it works best through the utility and its regulator, not as a payment from the developer.

    Indiana's NIPSCO plans about $5 a month for 18 months for an average home from data center revenue, pending approval. A developer in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania offered $10,000 per household; critics called it a bribe, and it is not known to have been approved. NiSource, October 28, 2026 ↗ · Times Leader, June 25, 2026 ↗

  • Pay full property taxes, with no rate cut asked

    Commit to the full local property tax, or a payment in its place written into the agreement, instead of asking the county to cut rates on computer equipment.

    Microsoft pledged in January 2026 to pay its full share of local property taxes and not to ask localities to cut tax rates. Virginia's auditor found some counties had cut equipment tax rates to win data centers. Microsoft, January 13, 2026 ↗

  • Cool it without drinking the town's water

    Use closed-loop, air or chip-level cooling, or reclaimed water, and publish yearly and peak-day water use with its source.

    Microsoft says every design since August 2024 avoids more than 125 million liters a year per site this way. Google's campus in Douglas County, Georgia drew 394 of its 441 million gallons in 2025 from reclaimed wastewater. Microsoft, December 9, 2024 ↗ · Google, June 30, 2026 ↗

  • Publish the numbers, site by site

    Report the site's electricity, water and generator hours every year, and answer the size and phase plan before the hearing.

    Google publishes water use and efficiency for each of its data centers every year, from 0.1 to 1,346 million gallons. Google, June 30, 2026 ↗

  • Cleaner backup power, and fewer hours of it

    Use Tier 4 engines, batteries or gas instead of Tier 2 diesel, cap testing hours, and test in daytime.

    Nearly all Virginia sites used Tier 2 diesel in 2024, and only one used Tier 4. In a 2026 poll, new gas or diesel generators beside a data center scored net -18 with voters, and a site powered by clean energy net +31. Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), December 9, 2024 ↗ · Global Strategy Group, for the clean-energy coalition America Is All In, May 2026 ↗

  • A noise limit measured at the fence

    Commit to a decibel limit at the property line, including the low hum, with setbacks, berms and screened equipment, and a number to call.

    Complaints in Virginia came from a 40 to 59 decibel hum that rarely broke local limits, whose fines top out at $500, so a limit in the agreement does more than the ordinance. Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), December 9, 2024 ↗

  • Say how many jobs, and how many local

    State construction jobs, permanent jobs and the share hired locally, and fund training at the local college.

    A typical 250,000-square-foot building has about 50 permanent workers and about 1,500 at the construction peak. Saying so beats being caught overstating it. Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), December 9, 2024 ↗

Does this cover Canada?

Not the tracker: Spezia tracks U.S. projects, and the figures above are American. Here is what the primary sources say about Canada. The big Alberta proposals name no Canadian customer; Meta's is for its own use. We found no data centre proposal for Churchill, Manitoba. A cold climate helps cooling, but design matters as much: Google's Finnish site ran at 1.10 in 2025, and one of its Ohio sites at 1.04.

  • 1,200 MW cap, about 19,565 MW askedMeasured

    Alberta's grid operator lets up to 1,200 MW of large loads connect through 2028 to protect reliability. That is fully allocated, against about 19,565 MW requested, and projects that bring their own generation go first.

    Government of Alberta, July 2026 ↗
  • Meta, Sturgeon CountyCompany's own figure

    Meta's first Canadian data centre, north of Edmonton, is for its own use and is to run on a new 932 MW gas plant expected in the second half of 2030. Meta says its closed-loop cooling won't draw water from surrounding sources.

    Associated Press, July 8, 2026 ↗
  • 7.5 GW a campus, no customer namedCompany's own figure

    Wonder Valley near Grande Prairie plans 7.5 GW of generation per campus; Alberta permitting was underway in February 2026, and no customer is named.

    O'Leary Digital, via PR Newswire, February 18, 2026 ↗
  • About 13 cents a kWhCompany's own figure

    Hydro-Québec proposed a rate for data centres over 5 MW averaging about 13 cents a kilowatt-hour, roughly double what large industrial customers pay, pending the regulator.

    Hydro-Québec, February 19, 2026 ↗
  • Manitoba said noReported

    Manitoba's premier said the province will not approve a gas-powered hyperscale data centre proposed near Ile des Chenes, southeast of Winnipeg.

    Global News, June 4, 2026 ↗
  • $2 billion for Canadian computeMeasured

    Canada's Sovereign AI Compute Strategy commits $2 billion over five years, including up to $1 billion for public supercomputing, for Canadian researchers and firms.

    Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, June 2026 ↗

Building one, or selling to one?

Every project file in Spezia's tracker has “Making the case to the town”: the project's own numbers in these terms, the concerns most likely to come up where it sits and why, the commitments that have answered them, and a fact sheet of only what is on the record.

Open the tracker free

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In short

How much electricity do data centers use?

U.S. data centers used about 192 terawatt-hours in 2024, 4.7% of U.S. electricity. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, June 2026.) The Laboratory's reference case is 464 terawatt-hours in 2028 and 649 in 2030, about 11.8% of projected U.S. electricity, with a range of 521 to 843. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, June 2026.)

Will a data center raise my electricity bill?

PJM's independent market monitor attributes $29.4 billion, 46.2% of capacity charges over four auctions, to data center load. That is a modeled wholesale charge, not a household bill. (Monitoring Analytics, PJM's independent market monitor, July 27, 2026.) A national study of all-sector prices after inflation, 2019 to 2025, found load growth linked to falling average prices in most states, and named gas, capacity prices, wires and storms as drivers of 2025's rise. The link for households is less clear. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Brattle, March 2026.)

How much water does a data center use?

U.S. data centers consumed about 66 billion liters (17.4 billion gallons) of water on site in 2023, 84% of it at hyperscale and colocation sites. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, December 2024.) Making their 2023 electricity used nearly 800 billion liters at power plants, about 12 times the on-site figure. The report leaves out power bought by contract and on-site generation. (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, December 2024.)

How many jobs does a data center bring?

A typical 250,000-square-foot data center has about 50 full-time workers, about half of them contractors, and about 1,500 construction workers on site at the peak. A building takes 12 to 18 months. (Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), December 9, 2024.) Virginia's auditor found most of the industry's economic benefit comes from building data centers rather than running them. (Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), December 9, 2024.)

What does a town get in taxes?

Data centers paid 31% of Loudoun County's total local tax revenue and 7% of Prince William County's in fiscal 2023. (Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), December 9, 2024.) Virginia's sales tax exemption saved data centers $928 million in fiscal 2023, and returned 48 cents in state revenue for each dollar exempted. (Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), December 9, 2024.)

What about noise and backup generators?

Virginia's data center sites have about 54 permitted backup generators each on average (35 at the median), typically 1 to 3 MW each and nearly all diesel. (Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), December 9, 2024.) Their actual 2023 emissions were 7% of what permits allowed, under 4% of Northern Virginia's nitrogen oxides. Tier 2 diesel generators may run only in emergencies and for testing. (Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), December 9, 2024.)

Which data centers are the most efficient?

The industry's average power usage effectiveness (total power over computing power) was 1.54 in 2025, little changed for six years. (Uptime Institute, as cited in Google's 2026 Environmental Report, July 29, 2025.) Google's fleet ran at 1.09 in 2025 and Meta's at 1.08 in 2024: under 10% of power goes to anything but computing. (Google, June 30, 2026.)

How many projects are blocked, and what do people think?

60% of U.S. adults said they would not be comfortable with a new data center in their area, in a survey of 10,548 adults in July and August 2026. Half now see them as mostly bad for home energy costs, up from 38% in January. (Pew Research Center, September 22, 2026.) 71% of U.S. adults opposed an AI data center in their local area in March 2026, more than the 53% who opposed a local nuclear plant. Opponents named water and energy use most; supporters named jobs. (Gallup, May 13, 2026.)