City Council expressed unanimous opposition to underwater AI data center construction in Eastport waters
DeepGreen Western Passage Underwater AI Data Center
DeepGreen proposed an underwater AI data center off the coast of Eastport, scaled down to 15 MW and a 27.1 acre active infrastructure footprint with 16 turbines in Phase I, and filed a 48 month preliminary permit application with FERC in February 2026, though Eastport enacted a 180 day moratorium on the project in August 2026. It is reported, as reported August 10, 2026.
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
- 15 MW
- not disclosed
- Water
- Not disclosed
- Who leads it
- DeepGreen
- as stated by the source
- 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 | 15 MW | not disclosed | September 17, 2026 | |
| 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 | DeepGreen | as stated by the source | September 17, 2026 | |
| 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.
- 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)
FERC accepted DeepGreen permit application for filing in August [2]
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
DeepGreen Western Passage SPV LLC applied to FERC in February for 48 month preliminary permit [2]
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
Louis Wolfson applied in February to FERC for a 48 month preliminary permit [1]
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
FERC accepted DeepGreen Western Passage SPV LLC's preliminary permit application in August [1]
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(source date; the content gives no date of its own)
DeepGreen Western Passage applied to FERC in February 2026 for a permit to explore putting a data center underwater in Johnson Cove, Passamaquoddy Bay [7]
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· Status: rumored (source date; the content gives no date of its own)
DeepGreen Western Passage SPV LLC applied for a 48 month preliminary permit with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a tidal powered underwater AI data center [8]
The full DeepGreen Western Passage Underwater AI Data Center timeline, in order
34 corrections to this record
Every correction, with its reason
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· the summary of a record items row
the record's rules: the sentence copied its source, was about its headline or carried a number the card's facts do not; written again from the card's facts, on the editor's word The old and new text.
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· the status of a projects row
The stage was set by timeline entries that were returned to draft on 2026-09-17 (they had been published onto the record while it was still a draft skeleton). With no published entry behind it the record reads rumored until one is approved. The old and new text.
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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.
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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.
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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.
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· 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.
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· 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.
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· 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.
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· 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.
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· 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.
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· 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.
-
· 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.
-
· 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.
-
· 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.
-
· 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.
-
· 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.
-
· 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.
-
· 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
Jack Shapiro, NRCM Climate & Clean Energy Director, said 'No big development project deserves a free pass, especially here in Maine where we value our clean water, healthy forests, abundant wildlife, and way of life rooted in the outdoors.'
Developer Louis Wolfson said preliminary permit is a license to study, not a license to construct
Every statement about data centers in Maine, by speaker
4 more statements on this page
Passamaquoddy community historian
Dwayne Tomah, historian from Sipayik Passamaquoddy community, stated the project represents a national backlash against data center facilities
Eastport City Manager Brian Schuth said the proposal is equivalent to an idea scrawled on a bar napkin by very smart people who may not know if it's possible
Louis Wolfson, DeepGreen Western Passage managing member
Company said it wants to create a sealed, behind the meter facility that would not use outside power.
The site
Where in Washington 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 Maine
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
- Eastport, Washington County, Maine
- 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
5 questions answered from the record
How big is DeepGreen Western Passage Underwater AI Data Center?
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The record has one measure of its size: 15 MW (not disclosed). Its acreage is not disclosed.
Who is building DeepGreen Western Passage Underwater AI Data Center?
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DeepGreen is the developer. No construction contractor is named on the record yet.
How much power and water does DeepGreen Western Passage Underwater AI Data Center say it needs?
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Power: 15 MW (not disclosed). Water: not disclosed by any source on file.
Where does DeepGreen Western Passage Underwater AI Data Center stand today?
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It is reported, as reported August 10, 2026. The newest entry, reported September 7, 2026: FERC accepted DeepGreen permit application for filing in August [2].
What has Eastport or Washington County decided about it?
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No decision by Eastport or Washington County about data centers is on the record. The Washington County page and the Maine scorecard list every rated row the day a person publishes one.
Sources
Reporting
- Residents seek formal role in federal review as Eastport considers ban on underwater data center - The Maine Monitor, The Maine Monitor, September 4, 2026, local outlet
- Residents seek formal role in federal review as Eastport considers ban on underwater data center - newscentermaine.com, newscentermaine.com, September 7, 2026, local outlet
- Eastport Council unanimously adopts moratorium on DeepGreen underwater data center proposal - The Maine Monitor, The Maine Monitor, August 13, 2026, local outlet
- Needham developer proposes underwater AI data centers off Maine coast - Needham Observer, Needham Observer, May 14, 2026, local outlet
- planet maine vol. 36: Eastport’s data center resistance - mainepublic.org, mainepublic.org, August 26, 2026, local outlet
- Proposed data center inches closer to reality - newscentermaine.com, newscentermaine.com, September 1, 2026, local outlet
- Eastport united in opposition to underwater data center proposal - Bangor Daily News, Bangor Daily News, August 11, 2026, local outlet
- Ordinance requiring voter approval for data centers called 'unlawful’ - The Maine Monitor, The Maine Monitor, August 10, 2026, local outlet
- Federal regulators accept preliminary permit for underwater data center off Eastport - Bangor Daily News, Bangor Daily News, August 24, 2026, local outlet
- Eastport residents seek formal role in federal review of proposed underwater data center, Bangor Daily News, September 8, 2026, local outlet
- Proposed underwater AI data center advances in federal review, raising concerns in Eastport - newscentermaine.com, newscentermaine.com, August 31, 2026, local outlet
- Eastport AI data center proposal advances amid local concerns - newscentermaine.com, newscentermaine.com, September 1, 2026, local outlet
11 more sources
- Eastport underwater AI data center moves forward in federal review - newscentermaine.com, newscentermaine.com, September 1, 2026, local outlet
- Advisory group asking for public input on future of data centers in Maine - Maine Morning Star, Maine Morning Star, August 25, 2026, local outlet
- Eastport divided over proposed underwater data center - newscentermaine.com, newscentermaine.com, September 1, 2026, local outlet
- Eastport community is divided over proposed underwater data center - newscentermaine.com, newscentermaine.com, September 1, 2026, local outlet
- Proposed Eastport underwater AI data center off coast one step closer - newscentermaine.com, newscentermaine.com, August 31, 2026, local outlet
- Ordinance that would prohibit DeepGreen data-center project in Eastport scheduled for hearing in August - The Maine Monitor, The Maine Monitor, July 17, 2026, local outlet
- Coalition of Eastport residents submits petition to prohibit large data center project - The Maine Monitor, The Maine Monitor, June 26, 2026, local outlet
- Proposed Eastport underwater AI data center advances - WABI, WABI, August 21, 2026, local outlet
- The One Town That Wants a Data Center - The Atlantic, The Atlantic, August 3, 2026, local outlet
- Proposed Eastport underwater AI data center advances - WABI, WABI, August 21, 2026, local outlet
- A week after Eastport banned data centers for 180 days, federal regulators accepted the underwater AI project’s application - NationofChange, NationofChange, August 25, 2026, local outlet
23 sources on file.
Cite this record
Data Center Record, "DeepGreen Western Passage Underwater AI Data Center", https://datacenterrecord.org/projects/deepgreen-western-passage-underwater-ai-data-center-eastport-me, last verified September 17, 2026.
Cite this page
Data Center Record, "DeepGreen Western Passage Underwater AI Data Center", https://datacenterrecord.org/projects/deepgreen-western-passage-underwater-ai-data-center-eastport-me. 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
- deepgreen-western-passage-underwater-ai-data-center-eastport-me
- Status value
- rumored
- Stage
- Proposed
- Tier
- skeleton
- Tags
- skeleton
- Place id
- us/me/washington-county/eastport
- Coordinates
- 44.68333, -67.46667
- Location precision
- county
- Location source
- County seat (Machias), 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
- 15 MW, not disclosed
- Rating of the county's rows
- Not disclosed
- Published
- 2026-09-05
- Last verified
- 2026-09-17