Sen. Matt Harrington (R-York) revealed during a work session last week that an AI data center could be coming to his district amid discussion on a bill from Rep. Melanie Sachs (D-Freeport) that would impose a temporary moratorium on data center construction in Maine.
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“It’s once again Augusta stepping on its foot, putting a one size fits all approach, and destroying business in Maine,” said Sen. Harrington, criticizing the proposed moratorium.
Opponents of new data centers typically cite legitimate concerns that they draw significant electricity and place additional burdens on the energy grid and ratepayers, while also using a significant amount of water.
At the work session, Sen. Harrington confirmed that a 100-300 megawatt facility is currently in the planning stages, with the potential to bring 100 long-term jobs to Mainers in the area.
On Wednesday, just under a week after first revealing the project, Harrington provided additional details via a Facebook post, confirming that it would be located in Sanford.
In his post, he clarified that the data center would generate its own power and would thus not place additional burdens on Maine’s power grid or ratepayers.
“I was recently briefed by representatives of the Northern New England Energy Corporation about their plans to develop an energy generation project utilizing a mix of American-made fuel cells, solar power and battery storage to produce all of the electricity needed to serve a co-located data center,” said Harrington.
He also confirmed that the Sanford Water District informed him that they have unused capacity that could serve the project.
Harrington was asked not to disclose the project, but he decided to speak up in response to the proposed moratorium.
The center would be developed by the Vermont-based Northern New England Energy Corporation. The company’s website contains no details whatsoever on any other projects they may have undertaken. They are a subsidiary of the Canadian natural gas company Énergir.
The Portland Press Herald spoke with Sanford Water District Superintendent David Parent, who confirmed that the water district could “easily” accommodate the needs of the project.
He also told the paper that the developer is looking at parcels of land along the Mousam River on the town’s eastern side.
Despite the reassurance from Harrington and Parent, some Sanford residents responded on Facebook with additional concerns, including potential noise issues, environmental damage, and the significant changes it could bring to the community.
