Local opposition blocked or delayed at least 45 US data center projects valued at nearly $68 billion between April and June, according to a new tally from Data Center Watch. The research group says disputes over permits, electricity, water and infrastructure costs are increasingly shaping where large computing facilities can be built.
The $68 billion is the stated value of affected projects, not money that has been spent or permanently lost. The count combines blocked proposals with projects whose construction was delayed. Data Center Watch published the headline figures this week; its project-level data and detailed methods are offered in a paid report, so the public summary does not allow every case to be checked independently.
The group counted at least 75 projects valued at about $130 billion as blocked or delayed in the first quarter. The smaller second-quarter tally should not be read as proof that opposition is receding. Data Center Watch says the latest count includes new disruptions alongside continuing resistance to projects delayed in earlier periods. It describes the level of disruption as elevated across both quarters.
The focus has also shifted. Communities are increasingly imposing moratoriums before developers have filed permit applications, the group says. Once a project is proposed, local fights often turn on specific zoning decisions, electricity connections or agreements over who pays for new infrastructure. Those decisions can alter a project’s timetable even when the developer has not canceled it.
Data Center Watch says activity in 30 statehouses addressed data center siting, electricity and water constraints, and infrastructure cost-sharing. Many states adopted legislation, resolutions or executive actions. Bloomberg, which received the full report, said the group identified 843 opposition groups across 49 states. The Hawaii exception and the group count come from that report, rather than a public registry of all local campaigns.
The political pressure is visible in state policy. New York enacted a pause on permits for large data centers, and Pennsylvania has moved to tighten siting and reporting requirements. Those measures differ in scope, but both address the gap between rapid AI infrastructure plans and the time needed for public agencies to assess their local effects.
For developers and utilities, the obstacle is not merely the availability of chips or capital. A campus needs land-use approval, an affordable power connection and, often, an agreement that existing customers will not shoulder the full cost of grid upgrades. The latest figures describe how often those questions have already interrupted projects, even as companies continue to announce new capacity.
Sources: Data Center Watch, Data Center Watch Q1 report, Bloomberg
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By the Control Plane Editorial Team