Massachusetts: data centers & your electric bill
As of October 1, 2026, AI GridWatch tracks 8 data center moratoriums or pushback actions in Massachusetts: 5 in force, 2 proposed, 1 expired, rejected or rescinded. The state has 58 tracked data center facilities using an estimated 1.1 TWh of electricity a year.
Everything GridWatch tracks in Massachusetts on one page — proposed projects, moratoriums, permits, officials, and the 2026 ballot.
Subscribe by RSS — moratorium changes and community headlines for Massachusetts.
As of July 2026 (3m ago) · changes over months · Source: U.S. Data Center Power Map by State — ElectricChoice.com compilation (updated July 2026; CC-BY 4.0). Underlying load research: LBNL 2024 US Data Center Energy Usage Report; rates: EIA
Facility counts vary by directory because each one draws the boundary differently — DataCenterMap lists 44 in Alabama where this table says 35, since it counts small network rooms alongside hyperscale campuses. Cite the TWh figure rather than the facility count when you can; it is the number that speaks to grid impact. Underlying load research is LBNL-2001637 (Dec 2024).
1Proposed data centers in Massachusetts
GridWatch is not yet tracking a named project in Massachusetts. That is a gap in our coverage, not evidence that nothing is proposed — most projects surface first in a zoning agenda, weeks before any reporting.
2Pushback already happening in Massachusetts
| Where | Level | Status | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-03-05 | 360-day moratorium (10-0 vote) on new data center construction, development, and expansion. First in Massachusetts. Extendable by 180 days. Markley Group challenged it; court separately paused 4 diesel generators at the existing facility on Aug 11. | SourceNews read 2026-09-06 |
| Holyoke | City | Enactedno end date — permanent | City Council voted 9-4 to ban data centers from every zoning district. Mayor Joshua Garcia signed Jun 18. Exempts existing Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (capped at 12 MW). First permanent data center ban in Massachusetts. Triggered by proposed $200M data center on Water Street; ~430 residents signed petition opposing. | SourceNews read 2026-09-12 |
| Westfield | City | Enactedexpires 2027-07-06 | City Council voted unanimously on final reading for a 365-day moratorium on data center permitting and construction. First reading passed unanimously Jun 18 after 100+ residents packed council chambers. Triggered by proposed $4B Servistar Realties campus (274 MW, 10 buildings). Mayor Michael McCabe signed. | SourceNews read 2026-09-12 |
| Shutesbury | Town | Enactedterm not documented | Special Town Meeting approved data center prohibition. Planning Board voted 6-1 to bring forward at Sep 12 hearing. Small Franklin County town (pop ~1,800). | SourceNews read 2026-09-12 |
| Agawam | City | Enactedexpires 2027-06-03 | City Council unanimously approved 270-day moratorium on data centers. Sponsored by Mayor Christopher Johnson and Council President Anthony Russo. Also unanimously approved first reading of a permanent citywide prohibition on same date. Runs through Jun 3, 2027. | SourceNews read 2026-09-12 |
| Plymouth | Town | Proposedterm not documented | Select Board voted unanimously to recommend a one-year zoning moratorium on standalone commercial data centers for the Fall Town Meeting (Article 16, Oct 17 2026 – Oct 16 2027). Exempts ancillary data storage. Planning Board to study grid capacity, water, noise. | SourceNews read 2026-09-12 |
| Northampton | City | Proposedterm not documented | Council President Rachel Maiore presented 365-day moratorium ordinance with option for 180-day extension. Joint public hearing before Planning Board and Legislative Matters Committee set for Sep 24. No data center project pending; preemptive. | SourceNews read 2026-09-12 |
| Southbridge | Town | Under Reviewterm not documented | Town Council voted unanimously to refer a proposed 12-month moratorium on data center permitting, construction and major expansion to its Planning Board. Includes possibility of two additional 180-day extensions. No project pending; preemptive. | SourceNews read 2026-09-12 |
As of August 2026 (2m ago) · changes weekly — re-check before citing
Illustrative rather than exhaustive — dozens of localities churn weekly, and this tracks the ones we have read a source for. **Each row carries its own provenance.** Rows showing a verification date link to the ordinance, the enacting body's own page, or a datable report of the vote, and were read on that date. Rows marked *unverified* came from bulk compilation and have not been checked against a primary source — the locality, the year, and the status may all be off. Verify one of those with the town clerk before citing it as precedent. **Expiry is derived, not asserted.** A row with a documented end date flips to *Expired* on its own once that date passes. A time-limited moratorium whose start date was never documented keeps showing as enacted — that is a known gap, not a claim that it is still in force. Moratoriums are also routinely extended, so an expiry date is the earliest it could have ended, not proof that it did.
3Every data center already built in Massachusetts
GridWatch does not yet track a named hyperscale campus in Massachusetts, but that does not mean the state has none. DataCenterMap keeps a public directory of existing facilities — street addresses included — for Massachusetts.
Browse the Massachusetts directory →
Two caveats before you cite it at a hearing: it lists facilities that already exist, so a newly proposed campus will not appear; and it counts a small network room the same as a hyperscale campus, so the facility count is not a measure of power draw or community impact.
4Your regulator
Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities — website · file a complaint
Official state energy data: EIA Massachusetts electricity profile — generation, prices, and consumption from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
5Where the Massachusetts paper trail lives
Air & environmental permits: MassDEP — Air permitting
No searchable register. Massachusetts does not publish a permit database you can query. A public-records request to the agency is the only route to the file.
Grid interconnection queue: ISO New England
A routing hint only — several states are split between markets, and the serving utility is the only authority on which queue a given site is in.
These are places to look, not evidence that anything has been filed. Links were checked on 2026-08-21; search links are queries, not records.
6Your federal delegation and governor
Grades cross party — this is an issue axis, not a partisan one. A blank grade means no documented action was located, never that the official is neutral.
| Grade | Official | Documented action (sourced) | Reach them |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Maura Healey Democratic · Governor | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| A | Edward J. Markey Democratic · Senator · on the 2026 ballot | Led letters to ISO New England and to NARUC on shielding ratepayers from data-center costs; released a draft bill requiring a federal public-interest certificate before a data center is permitted. — Sen. Markey — discussion draft, Protecting Communities from Data Center Impacts Act (2026) Guardrails Markey has released a discussion draft requiring federal certification of data centers, reintroduced the AI Environmental Impacts Act, and led letters to ISO New England and state utility regulators asking them to shield ratepayers from data center costs. sources | site · contact |
| A | Elizabeth Warren Democratic · Senator · next on the ballot 2030 | Opened an investigation into whether Big Tech data centers raise families' utility bills and, with Hawley, secured mandatory EIA energy-use reporting for data centers. — Sen. Warren — investigation into Big Tech data centers' role in utility costs (2025) Guardrails Warren opened an investigation into whether Big Tech data centers are raising families' utility bills, pushed EIA with Sen. Hawley to require mandatory data center energy reporting, and probed private equity firms' data center investments. sources | site · contact |
| — | Richard E. Neal Democratic · Representative 1 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | James P. McGovern Democratic · Representative 2 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Lori Trahan Democratic · Representative 3 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Jake Auchincloss Democratic · Representative 4 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Katherine M. Clark Democratic · Representative 5 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Seth Moulton Democratic · Representative 6 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Ayanna Pressley Democratic · Representative 7 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | Stephen F. Lynch Democratic · Representative 8 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
| — | William R. Keating Democratic · Representative 9 | No documented action on data centers located | site · contact |
Roster: regenerated by scripts/refresh_officials.py (Senate XML + congress-legislators + current governors).
Write to your senators → Your senators in detail → Full officials scorecard → Find your state legislators →
72026 U.S. Senate race
PVI D+14 · Seat held by Ed Markey (Democratic) · Primary pending (September 1, 2026)
Nominees are not yet settled — the state primary is September 1, 2026, so the names below are primary candidates, not the general-election field.
Ed Markey (Democratic) · incumbent No record found
No documented statement or action on data centers located. Not scored — see how this page treats silence.
John Deaton (Republican) No record found
No documented statement or action on data centers located. Not scored — see how this page treats silence.
Seth Moulton (Democratic) No record found
No documented statement or action on data centers located. Not scored — see how this page treats silence.
Tech & utility PAC money: $2,500 from 1 committees (FEC, cycle 2026, pulled 2026-08-26) — FEC record
Ballot roster: state candidate list (read 2026-08-25).
82026 U.S. House races in Massachusetts (9)
A documented data-center record exists in 8 of 9 districts. A candidate with no badge colour has said nothing we could locate — that is a gap in the record, not a neutral position. ★ marks an incumbent.
| District | PVI | Incumbent | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| MA-1 | D+8 | Richard Neal | Richard Neal ★ Jeromie Whalen Nadia Milleron |
| MA-2 | D+13 | Jim McGovern | Jim McGovern ★ |
| MA-3 | D+11 | Lori Trahan | Lori Trahan ★ Gary Grossi |
| MA-4 | D+11 | Jake Auchincloss | Jake Auchincloss ★ Jason Poulos Tom Stalcup |
| MA-5 | D+24 | Katherine Clark | Katherine Clark ★ Jonathan Paz Tarik Samman |
| MA-6 | D+11 | Seth Moulton | Bethany Andres-Beck Daniel Koh Jamie Belsito John Beccia Mariah Lancaster Micah Jones Tram Nguyen |
| MA-7 | D+34 | Ayanna Pressley | Ayanna Pressley ★ |
| MA-8 | D+15 | Stephen Lynch | Stephen Lynch ★ Patrick Roath Robert Burke |
| MA-9 | D+6 | Bill Keating | Bill Keating ★ Craig Swallow Tyler MacAllister |
The documented records (8 districts)
MA-1
Richard Neal (Democratic) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
MA-2
Jim McGovern (Democratic) · incumbent Guardrails
Original cosponsor of the AI Data Center Moratorium Act; told NOTUS Congress should give members a vote on a national moratorium.
- Original cosponsor of H.R. 9442, the AI Data Center Moratorium Act. Told NOTUS: 'We ought to at least give members the opportunity to vote on the national moratorium.' (2026-06-24 — source)
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-12.
MA-3
Lori Trahan (Democratic) · incumbent Guardrails
Voted to advance Ratepayer Protection Act and Protecting Families from AI Data Center Energy Costs Act in E&C Committee markup
- Supported passage of the Ratepayer Protection Act (H.R. 9340) and the Protecting Families from AI Data Center Energy Costs Act (H.R. 6529) during House Energy and Commerce Committee markup; stated people are 'already feeling it in their electric bill' (2026-07-21 — source)
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-12.
MA-4
Jake Auchincloss (Democratic) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
MA-5
Katherine Clark (Democratic) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
MA-7
Ayanna Pressley (Democratic) · incumbent Guardrails
Joined site tour and press conference at xAI Memphis facility calling for data center oversight
- Joined Reps. AOC, Summer Lee, and Justin Pearson in South Memphis for site tour and press conference at xAI data center facility, calling for data center oversight; met with residents reporting health impacts from methane gas turbines powering the facility (2026-07-17 — source)
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-12.
MA-8
Stephen Lynch (Democratic) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
MA-9
Bill Keating (Democratic) · incumbent Consensus vote only
On the record only for voting yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act (417-3). No other data-center record located yet.
- Voted yes on H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed 417-3 (roll call 312). It directs state utility commissions to consider rate designs making data centers with 100 MW or more of peak demand at one site pay the full incremental cost of the generation and grid upgrades they require. A near-unanimous vote: shown on the record, not scored on its own. (2026-09-16 — source)
Record read 2026-09-22.
9Latest Massachusetts data center news
No Massachusetts data-center headlines in this week's national scan — local coverage often runs ahead of it.
Search live Massachusetts data center news → GridWatch news feed →
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State municipal league: Massachusetts Municipal Association