Maine has 4 data center sites, 0 buildings where disclosed on the record: 4 proposed. Most are in Franklin County (2) and Washington County (2), and records are in 2 of 16 counties. The largest proposal is Jay Data Center at Former Paper Mill in Franklin County; it is reported.
How to read this page. Every count comes from the records on this page and links to where it is counted. Nothing is published until a person reads its source, and a figure no source gives reads Not disclosed; nothing is estimated. A rating changes only when a person sets it.
| Facility and county | Stage | Operator | Power (MW) | Latest entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Data Center at Former Paper Mill Jay, Franklin County | Proposed | Sentinel / Tony McDonald | 82 | |
| DeepGreen Western Passage Underwater AI Data Center Eastport, Washington County | Proposed | DeepGreen | 15 | FERC accepted DeepGreen permit application for filing in August yahoo.com (opens in a new tab) national outlet reported September 7, 2026 |
| Jay Data Center Jay, Franklin County | Proposed | Project no longer being pursued as of August 20, 2026 boothbayregister.com (opens in a new tab) news outlet reported August 20, 2026 | ||
| Eastport Underwater Data Center Eastport, Washington County | Proposed | DeepGreen Western Passage applied for preliminary permit to test underwater data center off Eastport's northern coast facebook.com (opens in a new tab) social media reported July 2, 2026 |
A blank cell means not disclosed by any source on file. Power is the developer's figure or a permit's, each linked on the record. All 4 Maine projects.
| Record | Place | Stage | Operator | MW | Basis | Located | Tier | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Data Center at Former Paper Mill | Jay, Franklin | Proposed | Sentinel / Tony McDonald | 82 | centroid | 1 | 2026-09-17 | |
| DeepGreen Western Passage Underwater AI Data Center | Eastport, Washington | Proposed | DeepGreen | 15 | centroid | 4 | 2026-09-17 | |
| Jay Data Center | Jay, Franklin | Proposed | centroid | 4 | 2026-09-17 | |||
| Eastport Underwater Data Center | Eastport, Washington | Proposed | centroid | 4 | 2026-09-17 |
Tier 1: an official or company source. Tier 2: a news report resolving to the outlet's own page. Located: a site coordinate from a permit, a parcel or an address, or the county or town centroid. Verified: the last day a person read the source. A blank cell means not disclosed by any source on file.
| County | Census GEOID | Projects | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County | 23007 | 0 | |
| Washington County | 23029 | 0 | |
| Cumberland County | 23005 | 2 | |
| Hancock County | 23009 | 2 | |
| Lincoln County | 23015 | 1 | |
| Penobscot County | 23019 | 2 | |
| Piscataquis County | 23021 | 1 | |
| York County | 23031 | 3 | |
| Androscoggin County | 23001 | 0 | 0 |
| Aroostook County | 23003 | 0 | 0 |
| Kennebec County | 23011 | 0 | 0 |
| Knox County | 23013 | 0 | 0 |
| Oxford County | 23017 | 0 | 0 |
| Sagadahoc County | 23023 | 0 | 0 |
| Somerset County | 23025 | 0 | 0 |
| Waldo County | 23027 | 0 | 0 |
A county without a record is listed, not linked.
What the state and its counties and cities have decided. Each row is rated by what it has decided, open, case by case, restrictive or closed, never by whether that is good or bad.
| Body | Level | Rating | In force until | Latest act | Acts | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | state | not rated | Westbrook planning board recommended prohibiting standalone data centers and removing the use from the Rock Row Contract Zone. pressherald.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Reported Sep 2228 acts on this rowEvery act on the Maine row
| 28 | 2026-09-23 | |
| Jay | city | not rated | Jay town meeting approved a data center plan. themainemonitor.org (opens in a new tab) local outlet Reported Mar 251 act on this rowEvery act on the Jay row
| 1 | 2026-03-25 | |
| Eastport | city | until February 20, 2027 | 2027-02-20 | Eastport City Council unanimously enacted a 180 day moratorium on data center projects in August 2026. bangordailynews.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Aug 24, 202614 acts on this rowEvery act on the Eastport row
| 14 | 2026-10-03 |
| Brunswick | city | not rated | Brunswick Town Council approved a 180 day moratorium on data center development with electrical capacities of 1 megawatt or greater on Monday night, June 2026. pressherald.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Jun 11 act on this rowEvery act on the Brunswick row
| 1 | 2026-06-01 | |
| Biddeford | city | not rated | Biddeford Planning Board voted unanimously to ban new data centers in the city during a meeting Wednesday night. yahoo.com (opens in a new tab) national outlet Sep 21 act on this rowEvery act on the Biddeford row
| 1 | 2026-09-03 | |
| Bangor | city | until February 14, 2027 | 2027-02-14 | Bangor City Council approved a six month hold on data center construction in mid April 2026. themainewire.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Aug 14, 20263 acts on this rowEvery act on the Bangor row
| 3 | 2026-09-27 |
| Bucksport | city | not rated | Bucksport's town council voted 5-2 on October 8, 2026 to enact a six month moratorium on data centers. thecooldown.com (opens in a new tab) national outlet Oct 82 acts on this rowEvery act on the Bucksport row
| 2 | 2026-10-08 | |
| Dover-Foxcroft | city | not rated | Town attorney Jon Pottle reviewing proposed temporary data center ban language for legal sufficiency. observer-me.com (opens in a new tab) news outlet Reported Sep 161 act on this rowEvery act on the Dover-Foxcroft row
| 1 | 2026-09-21 |
| Ellsworth | city | until February 10, 2027 | 2027-02-10 | Ellsworth City Council voted to enact a 180 day preemptive AI data center moratorium. themainewire.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Aug 14, 20261 act on this rowEvery act on the Ellsworth row
| 1 | 2026-08-14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Berwick | city | not rated | No dated act on this row yet. | 2026-09-24 | ||
| Old Town | city | not rated | Old Town City Council voted unanimously to advance temporary ban on data centers to special council meeting September 21. bangordailynews.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Reported Sep 91 act on this rowEvery act on the Old Town row
| 1 | 2026-09-09 | |
| Sanford | city | until March 2, 2027 | 2027-03-02 | Sanford voted to extend its emergency moratorium on data centers for 180 days in August. pressherald.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Sep 3, 20262 acts on this rowEvery act on the Sanford row
| 2 | 2026-09-24 |
| Scarborough | city | until March 21, 2027 | 2027-03-21 | Scarborough passed a 180 day data center moratorium in June 2026. pressherald.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Sep 22, 20261 act on this rowEvery act on the Scarborough row
| 1 | 2026-09-22 |
| South Berwick | city | not rated | South Berwick adopted a 180 day data center moratorium retroactive to July 14, 2026. pressherald.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Oct 143 acts on this rowEvery act on the South Berwick row
| 3 | 2026-10-14 | |
| Westbrook | city | until March 21, 2027 | 2027-03-21 | Westbrook passed a 180 day data center moratorium in June 2026. pressherald.com (opens in a new tab) local outlet Sep 22, 20261 act on this rowEvery act on the Westbrook row
| 1 | 2026-09-22 |
| Wiscasset | city | not rated | Wiscasset, Maine residents proposed 180 day moratorium on data centers to be voted on in November 2026. dailyyonder.com (opens in a new tab) national outlet Reported Sep 91 act on this rowEvery act on the Wiscasset row
| 1 | 2026-09-09 |
Reported: the source's date; the item names no day of its own. A month with no day: the source names the month and not the day. A rating rests only on a binding act in force; "not rated" means no person has set one. A blank cell means the record holds nothing for it.
No official summary on file for any of these 3 measures; each row links to the legislature's page for the text.
L.D. 307 Died at adjournment
3 bills tracked, 2 signed · LegiScan, CC BY 4.0
| Number | Session | Status | Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.D. 307 | 132nd Legislature | Died at adjournment | 2026-04-29 | An Act to Establish the Maine Data Center Coordination Council and Place a Temporary Limitation on Certain Data Centers |
| L.D. 713 | 132nd Legislature | Signed | 2026-04-14 | An Act to Exclude Data Centers from the Business Equipment Tax Exemption and the Dirigo Business Incentives Program and to Require the Department of Economic and Community Development to Study Financial Incentives for Data Centers |
| L.D. 912 | 132nd Legislature | Signed | 2025-05-21 | An Act to Limit the Amount of Electricity That May Be Provided to Data Centers on a Certain Commercial or Industrial Site |
3 bills tracked in Maine; 132nd Legislature, legislature adjourned; last checked October 26, 2026. The last check found no bill not already tracked; the 3 tracked bills stand. Search terms: data center, data centre, large load, hyperscale, computing facility, server farm, high load factor (indirect), energy intensive facility (indirect), large electric load (indirect), digital asset mining (indirect), cryptocurrency mining (indirect), qualified technology facility (indirect), colocation (indirect), moratorium (with another term), sales tax exemption (with another term). The search on LegiScan. (opens in a new tab)
Bill data from LegiScan (opens in a new tab), licensed CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab). The record chooses the bills, writes each stage in its own words and cites the legislature's own page for every bill.
| Member | Party | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Golden (ME) | D | Yea |
| Pingree | D | Yea |
A blank party cell means the clerk's roll gives none.
| Member | Party | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Collins (R-ME) | R | Yea |
| King (I-ME) | I | Nay |
A blank party cell means the clerk's roll gives none.
Positions as the clerk records them. How bills and votes are recorded.
Moratorium adoptedSouth Berwick
South Berwick adopted a 180 day data center moratorium retroactive to July 14, 2026
Moratorium adoptedSouth Berwick
The moratorium was adopted by a 4-0 Town Council vote on Tuesday night
Moratorium adoptedBucksport
Moratorium adoptedEastport
Moratorium extendedBangor
Bangor City Council voted 8-0 to extend the data center moratorium by 180 days
MoratoriumSouth Berwick
Senator Susan Collins said she supports legislation to establish guardrails for data center construction, including requirements to prevent projects from increasing electricity rates or affecting local water supplies
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.'
Every Maine statement, by speaker (40)
Troy Jackson said data centers could drive up electricity costs, strain the water supply and gain approval without sufficient oversight and that the approval process should be slowed while governments establish standards for AI and data center development
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Newsweek (opens in a new tab).
Archived copy: Wayback Machine (opens in a new tab).
Hannah Pingree stated in the second gubernatorial debate that she supports the temporary moratorium on data centers passed by the Maine Legislature.
Provenance: Paraphrased; content date; reported from elsewhere.
Setting: Maine second gubernatorial debate.
Primary source: Maine Morning Star (opens in a new tab).
Councilor Pious Ali supports an outright ban on data center facilities in Portland.
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Portland Press Herald (opens in a new tab).
Senator Susan Collins said she hopes the Senate will discuss a bill setting standards for data centers, including ensuring operators cover electricity costs
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: The Maine Wire (opens in a new tab).
Councilor Tracey Hair said during the council meeting that a data center company had come to town with interest in the mill site.
Provenance: Paraphrased; content date; reported from elsewhere.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
Steve Painter, Kennebunkport resident, says data centers and businesses consuming large amounts of electricity should be approved at state level, not by local governments, because electricity consumption in one town affects the regional electric grid.
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Portland Press Herald (opens in a new tab).
Stephen Grammont, Dover-Foxcroft Select Board Chair, said jitters about data center projects are 'not a make believe concern' despite low odds of one being built in town
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
Maggie Somers, Maine Conservation Voters outreach director, said the group is preparing legislation for the next legislative session
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
Thomas Meyer, deputy political director at Food and Water Watch, criticizes AI companies for offering bribes to governments to approve data centers
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: mainemorningstar.com (opens in a new tab).
Peru Select Board Chair Gail Belyea said that as of September 15, 2026, no one has proposed building a data center in the town
Provenance: Paraphrased; content date; reported from elsewhere.
Primary source: Sun Journal (opens in a new tab).
Jackie Elliot stated Maine needs moratorium on data centers
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: usmfreepress.org (opens in a new tab).
Maine has a Down East data center proposal involving DeepGreen Western Passage near Eastport but contains no $15 million land offer to a lobsterman
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Portland Press Herald - Maine Sunday Telegram (opens in a new tab).
Developer Louis Wolfson said preliminary permit is a license to study, not a license to construct
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: newscentermaine.com (opens in a new tab).
City Council expressed unanimous opposition to underwater AI data center construction in Eastport waters
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: newscentermaine.com (opens in a new tab).
Rep. Melanie Sachs sponsored a bill vetoed by Gov. Janet Mills that would have created a moratorium on large scale data centers
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: mainemorningstar.com (opens in a new tab).
Maura McDermott expressed concerns about Maine being left responsible if the data center industry collapses.
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
Karen Raye, an Eastport city councilor, said small municipalities must spend taxpayer dollars to assess data center projects before developers even begin.
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
The Select Board determined the potential impacts of data centers outweigh the benefits
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: WGME (opens in a new tab).
Town Manager Dwayne Morin said residents have expressed opposition to data center developments
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: WGME (opens in a new tab).
LePage's campaign said he supports 'sensible regulation' including guarantees of adequate water supply, local community buy in and no rate hikes
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
Paul LePage, Republican candidate for Maine's 2nd District, stated he is a 'big, big fan of data centers' and thinks they will create jobs and solve energy problems
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
Matt Dunlap, Democratic opponent, favors developing benchmarks and standards to ensure benefits for workers and positive impact on ratepayers
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
LePage said data centers will have their own generation and questioned concerns about water and power demands
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
Chris Wright, U.S. Energy Secretary, said nobody should build a data center if they don't want one and communities should decide on a case by case basis
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: spectrumlocalnews.com (opens in a new tab).
Paul LePage, Republican candidate for 2nd Congressional District, said data centers will create jobs and he is a big fan of data centers if properly regulated
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: spectrumlocalnews.com (opens in a new tab).
Republican Sen. Susan Collins said data centers should be considered on their merits and noted former paper mill sites have hydropower available
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: spectrumlocalnews.com (opens in a new tab).
LePage said data centers will be responsible for generating their own power
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: spectrumlocalnews.com (opens in a new tab).
Collins expressed support for projects at former mill sites with hydropower energy sources
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
Collins said she shares concern about data centers consuming too much energy and putting stress on energy costs
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
Sen. Susan Collins said data centers should be handled on a case by case basis
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he was unabashedly pro data centers and argued they can expand energy resources and lower electricity rates
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
Dwayne Tomah, historian from Sipayik Passamaquoddy community, stated the project represents a national backlash against data center facilities
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
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
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Bangor Daily News (opens in a new tab).
Company said it wants to create a sealed, behind the meter facility that would not use outside power.
Provenance: Paraphrased; said in the source itself.
Primary source: Maine Public (opens in a new tab).
"I’m calling for a moratorium on AI data center construction in Maine until we have strong protections and guardrails in place."
Provenance: Quoted; content date; reported from elsewhere.
Setting: Campaign statement.
Primary source: The Maine Wire (opens in a new tab).
"We’ve seen what’s happened in Virginia and Texas, where people are paying way more for electricity because of AI data centers."
Provenance: Quoted; content date; reported from elsewhere.
Setting: Candidate survey.
Primary source: Portland Press Herald (opens in a new tab).
Governor Mills stated she will sign an executive order to create a commission to study the impacts of data centers.
Provenance: Paraphrased; content date; reported from elsewhere.
Primary source: spectrumlocalnews.com (opens in a new tab).
Governor Janet Mills said the veto was needed to allow a $550 million data center project in Jay to move forward.
Provenance: Paraphrased; content date; reported from elsewhere.
Primary source: spectrumlocalnews.com (opens in a new tab).
On the November 3, 2026 ballot in Maine: Governor (3), U.S. Senate (2), U.S. House, District 1 (2), U.S. House, District 2 (2); 4 of 9 candidates with a statement on data centers on the record. Every candidate.
4 projects are on the record in Maine: 4 reported. Each is listed under Projects with its status history and sources. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows aboveRecords are in 2 counties: Franklin County (2) and Washington County (2). The county table lists every county with its count, zero included. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows aboveNot disclosed. None of the 4 records on file for Maine states a power figure. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows aboveNot disclosed. None of the 4 records on file for Maine states a water figure. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows above2 developers are named on the record: DeepGreen and Sentinel / Tony McDonald. 2 records name no developer; each name above opens the record, where the developer's source is listed. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows above15 county and city rows are on the record, 6 of them rated: Eastport is rated restrictive: Eastport City Council unanimously enacted a 180 day moratorium on data center projects in August 2026, August 24, 2026, source (opens in a new tab), Bangor is rated restrictive: Bangor City Council approved a six month hold on data center construction in mid April 2026, August 14, 2026, source (opens in a new tab) and Ellsworth is rated restrictive: Ellsworth City Council voted to enact a 180 day preemptive AI data center moratorium, August 14, 2026, source (opens in a new tab). Every row and its dated events are on the scorecard. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows above4 records are not yet running. Franklin County: Jay Data Center at Former Paper Mill (reported) and Jay Data Center (reported); and Washington County: DeepGreen Western Passage Underwater AI Data Center (reported) and Eastport Underwater Data Center (reported). A county name opens its page with the map and every record there. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows above2 state laws are on the record: L.D. 713 (signed, April 14, 2026, source (opens in a new tab)) and L.D. 912 (signed, May 21, 2025, source (opens in a new tab)). The state's own scorecard row carries 28 dated acts, the newest reported September 22, 2026; the laws page has what each law requires in the words of its text. Resources: the questions people ask about data centers
answered from the rows abovesummed only where a record disclosed the figure
| Figure | Disclosed total | Disclosed | Without a figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 0 | 4 | ||
| Water, stated per day | 0 | 4 | ||
| Water, stated per year | 0 | 4 | ||
| Permanent jobs | 0 | 4 | ||
| Tax each year | 0 | 4 |
A blank cell means no record in Maine disclosed the figure. Third party figures on the same metrics are listed apart below; a figure a project disclosed about itself is never mixed with them.
| Figure | Disclosed total | Disclosed | Without a figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 0 | 4 | ||
| Water, stated per day | 0 | 4 | ||
| Water, stated per year | 0 | 4 | ||
| Permanent jobs | 0 | 4 | ||
| Tax each year | 0 | 4 |
A blank total means no record disclosed the figure; the count without one says how many.
Summed only where a record disclosed the figure; a record with no figure adds nothing and is counted as not disclosed. Water is summed per day and per year separately, as the sources stated it, and never converted. A tax claim given as a range is summed at both ends.
The disclosed totals are in the table above.
No source on file states what any of the 4 tracked facilities in Maine are for.
| Use | Records | Power | Water | Jobs | Tax each year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No stated use | 4 |
A blank cell means no record with that use disclosed the figure.
A record that lists several uses counts once under each. Each cell is the sum over the records with that use, disclosed rows only.
No source on file states how any of the 4 tracked facilities in Maine are cooled.
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Data Center Record, "Data center records in Maine", https://datacenterrecord.org/states/me. Data: Data Center Record, datacenterrecord.org, CC BY-NC 4.0.
The structured rows are CC BY-NC 4.0. Link to this page; that is what turns a reuse into a citation. Prose stays under copyright.
