Maine lawmakers approve first statewide pause on large data centres

15 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 1

The move targets large facilities amid concerns in Maine over power demand, household electricity costs, water consumption and environmental pressure.
The report says the decision reflects wider US strains as planned 2026 data-centre capacity faces delays or cancellations because power supplies, transformers and other electrical equipment are bottlenecks.
It also comes as questions grow over the AI boom's sustainability, with rising scrutiny of compute costs, infrastructure limits, planning constraints and public acceptance.

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