28 data centers would need 9,700 MW from New York's grid — so the state banned them #DataCenters

Our Take

Credit to Shared Sapience for laying out the math plainly: 28 proposed New York data centers alone would need 9,700 MW, and everything already in the approval pipeline nationally would draw more power than every state but Texas. That's not a rounding error in a utility's integrated resource plan — it's a fundamental rewrite of who pays for grid buildout, and until now, most of that rewrite has happened without residents getting a vote.

What's notable here isn't just New York's pause on facilities above 20 MW, it's that Illinois froze subsidy deals in the same week. That's two states signaling that the era of rubber-stamping tax abatements and interconnection queues for hyperscale campuses is running into political limits. Moratoriums and environmental-reporting requirements won't stop the buildout, but they do shift leverage back toward the communities who'd otherwise inherit the water strain, the land-use fights, and the rate hikes with no seat at the table when the deal was cut.

The 73% opposition number cited in the video tracks with what we hear from readers constantly — this fight is showing up on local ballots because state legislatures moved first. Check our facility map to see what's proposed or under construction near you, and if you want to push back before the next deal is signed, our take-action page has the tools.