Sam Hayden, resident of Hopkinton, wrote that construction of hyperscale data center will be detriment to Bow and region because these facilities consume enormous amounts of electricity, provide few permanent jobs, require environmental costs and infrastructure, and risk higher rates
Bow Data Center
Bow residents are divided over a possible data center, with debate centering on tax relief benefits versus environmental concerns. It is reported, as reported September 2, 2026.
How much power it needs, how much water it would use and who would use it have not been disclosed.
How to read this page. Every fact links to the source it rests on; a number in brackets is its place in the source list. A figure no source gives reads Not disclosed, and nothing is estimated. Where sources give different figures, each is shown with who gave it, and another source's figure never stands in for the record's own. Entries are added and never overwritten; corrections are listed under What happened.
What is known
Each figure as its source gave it. The number in brackets is its place in the source list.
- Land
- Not disclosed
- Power it would draw
- Not disclosed
- Water
- Not disclosed
- Who leads it
- Not disclosed
- Who would use it
- Not disclosed
- Jobs once it runs
- Not disclosed
- Tax each year
- Not disclosed
Every field, with who said it and when (Researcher view)
Impact figures
| Field | Value | Who says so | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How much power it needs | Not disclosed | |||
| How much water it would use | Not disclosed | |||
| How loud it would be | Not disclosed | |||
| Jobs once it runs | Not disclosed | |||
| Tax it would pay each year | Not disclosed |
The record's fields
| Field | Value | Who says so | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who is building it | Not disclosed | |||
| Who is constructing it | Not disclosed | |||
| How much land | Not disclosed | |||
| Where its power comes from | Not disclosed | |||
| Grid connection | Not disclosed | |||
| How it is cooled | Not disclosed |
The developer's figure is what the company said; what a permit allows is the ceiling a permit sets; measured means observed. Water is in gallons a day or a year, whichever the source stated; a tax claim given as a range shows both ends, each linked to the source that gave it.
Still not public, and where it would show up
The record adds each the day a source gives it. Why these documents.
- Water useA state water right filing or a water supply agreement.
- Who would use itA lease announcement or a tenant named in a filing.
- Power the campus would drawA utility or public service commission docket, an interconnection filing, or an air permit for an on site plant.
- Who is behind itA land record, a zoning application or a company's own announcement.
- Jobs and taxAn incentive agreement, a county's economic development filing or a fiscal note.
What happened
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Granite Shore Power, owners of closed Merrimack Station in Bow, filed request with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to enter discussions with Eversource about making a connection to the power grid for a 350 megawatt project [5]
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
A preliminary study will examine the viability of a potential 350 megawatt interconnection associated with Granite Shore Power related to the rumored Bow data center. [4]
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Data center would be located next to Merrimack Station power plant [3]
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Eversource has been in communication with a developer interested in building a data center in Bow [3]
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
The project is proposed at the Merrimack Station, a coal fired power plant that ceased operations in September 2025 [2]
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Granite Shore Power is exploring a 350 megawatt data center project in Bow [2]
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Granite Shore Power owns the 345 acre Merrimack Plant site [1]
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Merrimack Station, a coal fired power plant, ceased operations in September 2025 and was due for retirement in 2028 [1]
2 earlier entries
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Eversource and Granite Shore Power filed an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee for a viability study for an up to 350 megawatt interconnection at the Merrimack Station coal plant [1]
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· reported (source date; the content gives no date of its own)
An unnamed town official in Bow confirmed there were high level discussions with a company about bringing a 350 megawatt data center to the town [1]
The full Bow Data Center timeline, in order
10 corrections to this record
Every correction, with its reason
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· the kind of source of a history entry
The source was labeled with the Google News search that found it; it now carries its outlet's tier (the record's rules of 2026-09-23). The link did not change. The day's label corrections.
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· the kind of source of a history entry
The source was labeled with the Google News search that found it; it now carries its outlet's tier (the record's rules of 2026-09-23). The link did not change. The day's label corrections.
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
Tier after resolution (2026-09-21). The source on file is spectrumnews1.com, the publisher's own page. The item reached the record through Google News: "data center" New Hampshire, which the record carries at tier 1, and the approve copied the feed's tier onto this row, from the wrapper https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipgFBVV95cUxQSmxUM3ljc2lyVjE1d2lwc1BWWXh1MkFvdkUtNGUtcFRuQ2p5U05nRmlDYWVheEt3YUp0SFdWUGUwdWFRUXZldzVXSHZGekRwTmk1T1Z5QTZmRzBMc3JQMGttbG85TWVuVlVleU5hRlhEWVFoMTNzU3lsV1ZSTTJUd1VDdEZsaUNfZ0ZxSzFoSUhybElyc1ZlUlVONWx5RF9HYTNPQUln. The tier now comes from the outlet, which the record already carries at tier 4 on 2 rows of sources. DECISIONS section 7. The speaker, the claim, the date and the url are unchanged. The day's label corrections.
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· the kind of source of a history entry
Tier after resolution (2026-09-21). The source on file is mainepublic.org, the publisher's own page. The item reached the record through Google News: "data center" Maine, which the record carries at tier 1, and the approve copied the feed's tier onto this row. The tier now comes from the outlet, which the record already carries at tier 4 on 1 row of monitoring_sources. DECISIONS section 7. The speaker, the claim, the date and the url are unchanged. The day's label corrections.
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· the kind of source of a history entry
Tier after resolution (2026-09-21). The source on file is spectrumnews1.com, the publisher's own page. The item reached the record through Google News: "data center" New Hampshire, which the record carries at tier 1, and the approve copied the feed's tier onto this row, from the wrapper https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipgFBVV95cUxQSmxUM3ljc2lyVjE1d2lwc1BWWXh1MkFvdkUtNGUtcFRuQ2p5U05nRmlDYWVheEt3YUp0SFdWUGUwdWFRUXZldzVXSHZGekRwTmk1T1Z5QTZmRzBMc3JQMGttbG85TWVuVlVleU5hRlhEWVFoMTNzU3lsV1ZSTTJUd1VDdEZsaUNfZ0ZxSzFoSUhybElyc1ZlUlVONWx5RF9HYTNPQUln. The tier now comes from the outlet, which the record already carries at tier 4 on 2 rows of sources. DECISIONS section 7. The speaker, the claim, the date and the url are unchanged. The day's label corrections.
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
Tier after resolution (2026-09-21). The source on file is spectrumnews1.com, the publisher's own page. The item reached the record through Google News: "data center" New Hampshire, which the record carries at tier 1, and the approve copied the feed's tier onto this row, from the wrapper https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipgFBVV95cUxQSmxUM3ljc2lyVjE1d2lwc1BWWXh1MkFvdkUtNGUtcFRuQ2p5U05nRmlDYWVheEt3YUp0SFdWUGUwdWFRUXZldzVXSHZGekRwTmk1T1Z5QTZmRzBMc3JQMGttbG85TWVuVlVleU5hRlhEWVFoMTNzU3lsV1ZSTTJUd1VDdEZsaUNfZ0ZxSzFoSUhybElyc1ZlUlVONWx5RF9HYTNPQUln. The tier now comes from the outlet, which the record already carries at tier 4 on 2 rows of sources. DECISIONS section 7. The speaker, the claim, the date and the url are unchanged. The day's label corrections.
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
Tier after resolution (2026-09-21). The source on file is mainepublic.org, the publisher's own page. The item reached the record through Google News: "data center" Maine, which the record carries at tier 1, and the approve copied the feed's tier onto this row. The tier now comes from the outlet, which the record already carries at tier 4 on 1 row of monitoring_sources. DECISIONS section 7. The speaker, the claim, the date and the url are unchanged. The day's label corrections.
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
Tier after resolution (2026-09-21). The source on file is spectrumnews1.com, the publisher's own page. The item reached the record through Google News: "data center" New Hampshire, which the record carries at tier 1, and the approve copied the feed's tier onto this row, from the wrapper https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipgFBVV95cUxQSmxUM3ljc2lyVjE1d2lwc1BWWXh1MkFvdkUtNGUtcFRuQ2p5U05nRmlDYWVheEt3YUp0SFdWUGUwdWFRUXZldzVXSHZGekRwTmk1T1Z5QTZmRzBMc3JQMGttbG85TWVuVlVleU5hRlhEWVFoMTNzU3lsV1ZSTTJUd1VDdEZsaUNfZ0ZxSzFoSUhybElyc1ZlUlVONWx5RF9HYTNPQUln. The tier now comes from the outlet, which the record already carries at tier 4 on 2 rows of sources. DECISIONS section 7. The speaker, the claim, the date and the url are unchanged. The day's label corrections.
-
· the kind of source of a history entry
Tier after resolution (2026-09-21). The source on file is mainepublic.org, the publisher's own page. The item reached the record through Google News: "data center" Maine, which the record carries at tier 1, and the approve copied the feed's tier onto this row. The tier now comes from the outlet, which the record already carries at tier 4 on 1 row of monitoring_sources. DECISIONS section 7. The speaker, the claim, the date and the url are unchanged. The day's label corrections.
-
· the draft of a status history row
Published on a project that was still a draft skeleton and still short of the record's skeleton minimum rule; returned to draft on 2026-09-17 pending the project meeting the rule or a person's approval. The old and new text.
Every correction on the record is on the corrections page.
What was said
Michael Vose, former chair of the N.H. House Science, Technology, & Energy Committee and sponsor of HB 672, argues that data centers should provide their own power under House Bill 672 rather than being subject to a state moratorium.
Eversource spokesman William Hinkle stated Eversource only delivers power, does not generate it, and does not develop data centers, and is obligated to respond to all proposals from developers
Every statement about data centers in New Hampshire, by speaker
9 more statements on this page
Pembroke resident
Beth Hamilton Karas stated that a data center at Merrimack Station would impact the region at large and downstream communities
Governor of New Hampshire
Governor Kelly Ayotte has proposed a statewide data center moratorium, citing insufficient state energy resources.
Executive Councilor, New Hampshire
Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill called for immediate action on a moratorium, stating that waiting until July 2027 is too late
Governor of New Hampshire
Gov. Ayotte stated she wants to reduce energy prices and that data centers would raise energy costs
Selectboard Chair, Bow
Bow Selectboard Chair Kip McDaniel confirmed the town has been having talks with a private business interested in building a data center
Governor of New Hampshire
Gov. Kelly Ayotte said she will be introducing a moratorium against AI data centers in the state's next budget because we do not have the energy for it and she wants to bring electric prices down
Democratic gubernatorial candidate for New Hampshire
Cinde Warmington, running in Democratic primary for governor, said on Day One she will issue an executive order placing a temporary moratorium on large scale data centers
Executive Councilor, New Hampshire
Executive Councilor Liot Hill said waiting for a moratorium until the next state budget takes effect in July 2027 is too late and the Governor should use executive authority to put an immediate temporary moratorium in place
The site
Where in Merrimack County is not in the public record. The pin marks the county seat, not a building, and the outline is the county.
Tap a pin for the data center, the parcel for its record
- This record: Proposed, ringed
- data center
- Dashed edge: the exact site is not in the public record
- Smaller pins: 3 other published records in New Hampshire
Details
- this record's location, ringed
- parcel outline, from the county parcel record
- city limits, U.S. Census Bureau, on a town level record
- county boundary
The other pins are the published projects in the same state, each in its stage color. The imagery beneath is the USGS national orthoimagery, public domain, shown so the land around the site can be read.
- Where
- Bow, Merrimack County, New Hampshire
- How exactly it is located
- County level, the county seat
- The parcel
- No parcel outline in the public record
- Nearest homes
- Not computed for a record placed at a place center
- Nearest records
- Nearest records are not computed for a record placed at a county seat.
Questions about this project
4 questions answered from the record
Who is building Bow Data Center?
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Not disclosed. No source on file names the developer. The sources read for this record are listed under Sources.
How much power and water does Bow Data Center say it needs?
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Power: not disclosed by any source on file. Water: not disclosed by any source on file.
Where does Bow Data Center stand today?
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It is reported, as reported September 2, 2026. The newest entry, reported September 24, 2026: Granite Shore Power, owners of closed Merrimack Station in Bow, filed request with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to enter discussions with Eversource about making a connection to the power grid for a 350 megawatt project [5].
What has Bow or Merrimack County decided about it?
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No decision by Bow or Merrimack County about data centers is on the record. The Merrimack County page and the New Hampshire scorecard list every rated row the day a person publishes one.
Sources
Reporting
- Politicians Pile On Calls for Moratorium as Data Centers Talks In Bow Confirmed - InDepthNH.org, InDepthNH.org, September 2, 2026, local outlet
- September 5, 2026 New England News Roundup - WKXL, WKXL, September 5, 2026, local outlet
- Rates and Rights: Don’t panic about that data center in Bow, Concord Monitor, September 10, 2026, local outlet
- Michael Vose & Glen Lyons: We have a better alternative to a data center moratorium - UnionLeader.com, UnionLeader.com, September 16, 2026, local outlet
- Letter: Voice your opposition to Bow data center, Concord Monitor, September 24, 2026, local outlet
- In New Hampshire, Democrats and Republicans fight over who is more anti-data center - Spectrum News, Spectrum News, September 8, 2026, local outlet
- Tax relief or environmental threat? Bow residents divided over possible data center - concordmonitor.com, concordmonitor.com, September 4, 2026, local outlet
- Ayotte opposes potential Bow data center, plans to propose statewide moratorium - mainepublic.org, mainepublic.org, September 2, 2026, local outlet
8 sources on file.
Cite this record
Data Center Record, "Bow Data Center", https://datacenterrecord.org/projects/bow-data-center-nh, last verified September 24, 2026.
Cite this page
Data Center Record, "Bow Data Center", https://datacenterrecord.org/projects/bow-data-center-nh. Data: Data Center Record, datacenterrecord.org, CC BY 4.0.
The structured rows are CC BY 4.0. Link to this page; that is what turns a reuse into a citation. Prose stays under copyright.
For researchers
- Slug
- bow-data-center-nh
- Status value
- rumored
- Stage
- Proposed
- Tier
- skeleton
- Tags
- skeleton
- Place id
- us/nh/merrimack-county/bow
- Coordinates
- 43.20667, -71.53806
- Location precision
- county
- Location source
- County seat (Concord), Wikidata, placed at county level
- Coordinate source
- wikidata county seat
- Location source number
- Not disclosed
- Location last verified
- September 16, 2026
- EPA registry id
- Not disclosed
- Use type values
- not_disclosed
- Tenancy value
- not_disclosed
- Cooling type value
- not_disclosed
- Capacity basis
- not_disclosed
- Water basis
- not_disclosed, gallons_per_day
- Acreage basis
- Not disclosed
- Interconnection value
- not_disclosed
- Capacity, if disclosed
- Not disclosed
- Rating of the county's rows
- Not disclosed
- Published
- 2026-09-05
- Last verified
- 2026-09-24