OppositionLEAD STORY

California Community Rallies Against Data Center and Wins, Guardian Reports

The Guardian reports that a California community mounted a successful campaign against a proposed data center, blocking the project after sustained local opposition. The case highlights how organized residents can halt large-scale infrastructure projects even when developers have significant financial resources behind them. Community groups cited concerns over power consumption, noise, and the strain on local utilities as key factors driving the opposition. The outcome is being watched by advocacy groups and developers alike, as similar fights are playing out across the country from Virginia's Chesapeake Bay region to Nevada.

The Guardian·3 hours ago
MORE STORIES THIS EDITION3 stories
01
Opposition

Chesapeake Bay County Caught in Escalating Data Center Fight

The Washington Post reports that a scenic Chesapeake Bay county is facing intense pressure from data center developers seeking to site large facilities in the region. Residents and local officials are divided over economic benefits versus environmental and infrastructure concerns. The conflict reflects a widening pattern of rural and semi-rural communities grappling with rapid data center expansion near sensitive landscapes.

The Washington Post·2 hours ago
02
Power & Energy

Kentucky Debates Who Should Bear Data Center Power Costs

The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy has raised questions about whether state residents and ratepayers will end up subsidizing the grid infrastructure required by large data center facilities. The analysis points to tax incentives and utility cost-allocation practices that may shift financial burdens onto existing customers. The report adds to a growing national debate about cost responsibility that has already prompted legislative action in Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy·5 hours ago
03
Power & Energy

POWER Magazine: Phantom Data Centers Revealed a Pre-Broken Grid

POWER Magazine argues that the phenomenon of phantom data centers, projects announced but never built, did not create grid planning failures but instead exposed weaknesses that already existed in the interconnection and forecasting system. Utilities and grid operators had been incorporating speculative load projections into capacity plans, distorting resource adequacy calculations. The piece suggests that reforms to interconnection queue management and load verification will be needed before grid planning can accurately reflect actual future demand.

POWER Magazine·6 hours ago
Market Pulse
The share of US colocation space currently unleased. At 2%, the market is historically tight — a normal range is 8–12%. Tight vacancy gives landlords pricing power and signals that new supply cannot come online fast enough. Source: CBRE Q1 2026.
US colo vacancy
2.0%
▼ 0.2pts QoQ
Total US data center capacity (in gigawatts) currently permitted, under construction, or in planning. 54GW reflects AI-driven demand that has far outpaced existing supply — and puts significant pressure on power grids, water systems, and equipment supply chains. Source: CBRE/JLL Q1 2026.
Power under dev.
54GW
▲ 15% YoY
What landlords charge per kilowatt of power capacity per month — the standard unit for pricing colocation space. $190/kW/mo is up sharply from $120–$140 just two years ago, a direct result of the supply crunch. Source: CBRE and JLL lease rate surveys.
Avg. ask rate
$190
per kW/mo
Combined capital expenditure guided by Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta for data center infrastructure in the current year. This is the single largest demand driver in the market — when it rises, land, power, construction, and cooling all get more expensive and harder to source. Source: public earnings calls and SEC filings.
Hyperscaler CapEx
$320B
▲ 40% YoY
How long it takes to receive a large power transformer after ordering. One of the biggest construction bottlenecks — a building can be fully built but cannot be energized without one. Pre-AI-boom lead times were 12–26 weeks. Source: industry trade press and utility procurement reporting.
Transformer lead time
52–104
weeks
Net new power capacity leased and occupied by US colocation tenants in 2024. It is 'net' because space that went vacant is subtracted. The 3.2GW figure is a record — roughly equal to the entire US colocation market's total size a decade ago. Source: CBRE year-end 2024 market report.
Net absorption
3.2GW
US 2024
As of Q1 2026

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