80 documented events in 29 countries where communities, courts or governments pushed back on data centers, or struck a deal. 60 are contestations. Every case links to the public sources it was verified against.
South African civil groups call for data centre halt pending rights inquiry
South Africa
Civil rights groups urged a pause on new data centres until their water, land and power use is investigated; the Human Rights Commission, which opened a consultation in May 2026, reported over 250 submissions and cited poor transparency on resource demand.
waterelectricityland usetransparency
WTOP (Associated Press), Civil rights groups urge a halt to South Africa data centers boom amid water and power fears (2026-09-04)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: water dispute · Outcome:one part of the project refused. The permit to cool with river water was refused, not the data center.
Walloon minister refuses Google river-water cooling at Farciennes
Farciennes, Wallonia, Belgium · Google
Following a citizen appeal, the Walloon environment minister refused Google's permit change to draw about 600 cubic metres per hour from the Sambre for cooling, invoking the precautionary principle during drought; Google may appeal to the Council of State.
First Nation's challenge to Wonder Valley water licence proceeds
Municipal District of Greenview, Alberta, Canada
An Alberta judge refused O'Leary Digital's bid to strike Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation's judicial review, which argues the Crown failed to consult before licensing Smoky River water for the proposed $70bn data centre park.
waterland useother
CBC News, First Nation wins early legal challenge on judicial review for Wonder Valley data centre project (2026-08-14)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Lacchiarella residents protest as Italy fast-tracks K2 data center campus
Lacchiarella / Zibido San Giacomo (Milan), Lombardy, Italy · K2 Strategic Infrastructure · 400 MW stated in the source
After around 200 residents demonstrated in July over farmland, water and energy concerns, the Italian cabinet designated K2's 400MW campus near Milan a project of strategic national interest on 4 August 2026.
Sherbrooke residents petition against Keel data centre land sale
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
More than 4,500 people signed a petition against the council's conditional land sale to Keel Infrastructure (formerly Bitfarms) for a large data centre, citing noise, environmental impact and lack of public debate; the mayor says studies are still required before any approval.
noisewatertransparencyother
CBC News, Plan for mega data centre in Sherbrooke, Que., raises transparency, environmental concerns (2026-08-07)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Southland residents rally against consented Datagrid AI data centre
Makarewa (near Invercargill), Southland, New Zealand
Hundreds attended a public meeting in Invercargill to challenge Datagrid's NZ$3.5bn data centre, which received non-notified consents including groundwater take of over 600,000 litres a day; opponents objected to the lack of public input.
waternoisetransparencyelectricity
RNZ, Data centre opponents welcome Greens policy, warn of 'potential crisis' (2026-07-27)
RNZ, Massive Southland data centre's water consent concerns engineer (2026-07-20)
Thane residents form human chain against AWS data centre in Balkum
Thane (Balkum), Maharashtra, India · Amazon
Residents campaigning as 'Wake Up Thanekar' held a human-chain protest against a planned 53-acre AWS data centre in a dense residential area, citing heat, diesel-generator noise and emissions; Amazon said the site would not use water for cooling.
heatnoiseemissionsland use
VARINDIA, Amazon's Thane Data Centre Faces Resident Backlash (2026-08-14)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: permit refused · Outcome:project approved
Minister approves Tritax green belt data centre in Slough over council objection
Slough, Berkshire, United Kingdom
The housing minister approved a data centre with battery storage on a 20-acre green belt site near Heathrow after a non-determination appeal; Slough Borough Council called the scheme speculative and the wrong location.
land use
LocalGov, Slough BC 'disappointed' by decision over green belt data centre (2026-06-11)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Magenta residents petition against 240MW MXP data center campus
Magenta (Milan), Lombardy, Italy · Namira · 240 MW stated in the source
Residents protested a 240MW data center campus planned by Namira on the ex-Novaceta brownfield, raising grid, water-table and generator-noise concerns, filing over 100 objections and petitioning the mayor to suspend the plan.
electricitywaternoisetransparency
DatacenterDynamics, Locals oppose 240MW data center planned in Lombardy, Italy (2026-06-24)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: protest · Outcome:one part of the project refused. The dedicated gas power plant was dropped, not the data center.
Protest ends gas power plan for Edgeconnex data centre in Maintal
Maintal, Hessen, Germany · EdgeConneX
Residents and the city council opposed a dedicated gas power plant for a roughly one-billion-euro Edgeconnex data centre; the company dropped the gas plant and said it would look for other power options.
NAACP sues xAI over unpermitted turbines for Colossus 2
Southaven, Mississippi, United States · xAI
The NAACP, represented by SELC and Earthjustice, filed a federal Clean Air Act suit alleging xAI runs 27 gas turbines without air permits to power its Colossus 2 data center near South Memphis.
What happened: referendum or vote · Outcome:project approved with conditions
Coweta approves Project Sail after moratorium
Coweta County, Georgia, United States
Following a May-December 2025 moratorium and new data center rules, county commissioners voted 3-2 to rezone 829 acres for a large campus with 17 conditions such as buffers, road improvements and decommissioning, over resident concerns about Wahoo Creek and river water.
waterland usebiodiversity
FOX 5 Atlanta, Coweta County approves massive 'Project Sail' data center (2026-04-08)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Versailles appeal court rejects associations' challenge to CyrusOne Wissous data center
Wissous (Essonne), Île-de-France, France · CyrusOne · 60 MW stated in the source
Local and environmental associations argued the Wissous data center was split into phases to avoid the 50 MW environmental authorisation threshold; the Versailles administrative appeal court dismissed their challenge, and the associations said they would go to the Conseil d'État.
noiseelectricitytransparencyhealth
DCMag, La cour d'appel de Versailles rejette le recours contre le datacenter de CyrusOne à Wissous (2026-04-13)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: permit refused · Outcome:project stopped. The council denied the application, which it found incomplete.
Archbald council denies 18-building data center campus
Archbald, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
Archbald's borough council voted 5-0 to deny an 18-building, roughly 400-acre data center campus, citing an incomplete application lacking power, water, sound and traffic studies, before more than 200 residents.
land usenoisewaterelectricity
WVIA, Archbald denies 18-building data center campus during special Friday afternoon meeting (2026-03-27)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: grid restriction · Outcome:moratorium active
Energinet pauses new grid connection agreements amid data center demand surge
Denmark
Denmark's state grid operator Energinet temporarily stopped signing new connection agreements after roughly 60 GW of requests, largely from data centers and other big users, piled up; operators warned a long pause could stall investment.
electricity
CNBC, Denmark faces data center reckoning amid power grid strains (2026-05-04)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Government concedes judicial review of Iver green belt data centre approval
Iver, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
After Buckinghamshire Council refused the scheme twice and ministers approved it, environmental groups brought a judicial review; the government conceded a flaw in EIA screening, so the permission is expected to be quashed and redetermined.
land usebiodiversity
Gowling WLG, Government concedes Buckinghamshire data centre judicial review: implications for data centres (2026-03-20)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: referendum or vote · Outcome:project stopped. The council ended the planning talks for the campus.
Groß-Gerau council votes against Vantage 160MW data centre
Groß-Gerau, Hessen, Germany · Vantage · 160 MW stated in the source
The town council voted 18-14 not to continue planning talks for a 2.5-billion-euro, 160MW Vantage campus, citing limited local tax benefit, a fresh-air corridor and the scale of the buildings.
Dalit farmers resist land acquisition for Google AI hub near Visakhapatnam
Tarluvada (Visakhapatnam), Andhra Pradesh, India · Google · 1,000 MW stated in the source
Dalit families and farmers in Tarluvada have protested acquisition of land for a 1 GW Google AI data centre whose foundation stone was laid in April 2026, disputing compensation and raising water concerns in a water-stressed region.
Hino citizens' group opposes Mitsui Fudosan data center; buildings scaled down
Hino, Tokyo, Japan · Mitsui Fudosan
A citizens' group in Hino, western Tokyo, is campaigning against a three-building data centre over fire, heat and noise risks; the developer cut two buildings' height by a fifth to 63.5 m and plans a green buffer zone.
landscapenoiseheathealth
Kuwait Times (AFP), Opposition to data centres grows in cramped urban Japan (2026-07-18)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Inzai residents sue over building certificate for new data center
Inzai, Chiba, Japan
Residents of Inzai, which already hosts at least ten data centres, took legal action against the certificate issued by inspection firm Japan ERI for a proposed facility, citing loss of sunlight, landscape damage, noise, hot air and traffic.
landscapenoiseheathealth
Kuwait Times (AFP), Opposition to data centres grows in cramped urban Japan (2026-07-18)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: grid restriction · Outcome:rule adopted
CRU sets new grid connection rules for data centres
National, Ireland
Ireland's energy regulator replaced its 2021 direction with a decision requiring new data centres to match their import demand with local generation or storage and to source at least 80% of annual electricity from new Irish renewables, with location on constrained networks assessed.
electricityemissions
CRU, The CRU Publishes its Decision on New Electricity Connection Policy for Data Centres (2025-12-12)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: referendum or vote · Outcome:project approved
Northumberland council approves QTS Cambois data centre first phase
Cambois, near Blyth, Northumberland, United Kingdom · QTS
Following outline consent in March 2025, the council's strategic planning committee voted unanimously to approve the first two halls of the £10bn QTS campus on the former Blyth power station site, framed as a major jobs investment.
What happened: other · Outcome:project approved with conditions
Amazon's three Mulhuddart data centres approved after third-party appeals
Mulhuddart (Cruiserath Road), Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland · Amazon · 73 MW stated in the source
After appeals by environmental groups against Fingal's 2023 grant, the planning appeals body approved three data centres totalling 73MW on condition that renewable power purchase agreements cover their demand.
electricityemissions
The Irish Times, Amazon secures permission to build three data centres in North Dublin (2025-12-26)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: referendum or vote · Outcome:project approved
Bessemer approves Project Marvel rezoning despite opposition
Bessemer, Alabama, United States
Bessemer's council voted 5-2 to rezone forested land for a hyperscale campus despite resident objections about water use, noise, generator emissions and officials' non-disclosure agreements.
Groups sue Hermantown over data center environmental review
Hermantown, Minnesota, United States
Environmental lawyers and a local group challenged the city's areawide environmental review for a 403-acre, 1.8 million sq ft project for an unnamed large company, arguing it understated water and power use and did not identify the project as a data center.
waterelectricitytransparencybiodiversity
KAXE, Environmental groups sue Hermantown over data center review process (2025-11-05)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: community agreement · Outcome:project approved with conditions
Saline Township settles with data center developer
Saline Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
After the township denied rezoning and was sued by the developer, a court-filed consent judgment let the project proceed with conditions including farmland and community funds, no cooling water use, a 55 dB noise limit and a decommissioning fund.
What happened: project withdrawn · Outcome:project stopped. Microsoft dropped this site and said it would look for another in the region.
Microsoft drops Caledonia site after resident opposition
Caledonia, Racine County, Wisconsin, United States · Microsoft
Microsoft abandoned a planned 244-acre data center requiring farmland rezoning in Caledonia after public hearings and a petition with over 2,000 signatures, saying it would look for another site in the region.
What happened: project withdrawn · Outcome:project stopped. Google withdrew its rezoning request.
Google withdraws Franklin Township data center rezoning
Franklin Township, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States · Google
Google withdrew its request to rezone nearly 500 acres of farmland in southeast Indianapolis for a data center minutes before a City-County Council vote, after months of resident opposition over water and power use, environmental risks and limited jobs.
waterelectricityland usejobstax
WFYI, Google backs down from proposed data center after months of community pushback (2025-09-22)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: project withdrawn · Outcome:project stopped. The plan at this site was dropped; the company invested elsewhere.
Östersund and Ecodatacenter scrap data center plan near Spikbodarna forest
Östersund (Verksmon), Jämtland, Sweden · EcoDataCenter
Östersund municipality and Ecodatacenter dropped plans for data halls and greenhouses that would have encroached on the Spikbodarna recreational forest, a result welcomed by the Rädda Spikbodarna association; the company shifted investment to Dalarna.
land usebiodiversityhealth
SVT Nyheter, Ingen satsning på datacenter – föreningen Rädda Spikbodarna nöjd (2025-09-10)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Anacé Indigenous community files complaint to halt TikTok data center in Ceará
Caucaia (Pecém complex), Ceará, Brazil · ByteDance
After occupying the Caucaia office of the state environment agency in early August 2025, the Anacé community filed a complaint seeking cancellation of the licence for a ByteDance/Casa dos Ventos data center on land they claim, arguing it was wrongly classed as low-impact and that its water use was understated.
waterland useelectricity
DCD, Brazilian indigenous community files complaint to halt TikTok data center (2025-09-09)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: moratorium · Outcome:moratorium active
St. Charles adopts one-year data center moratorium
St. Charles, Missouri, United States
St. Charles City Council unanimously approved a one-year pause on data center applications days after a developer withdrew a zoning request for a controversial proposal, following resident complaints about secrecy and possible water contamination.
watertransparencyelectricity
St. Louis Public Radio, St. Charles City Council unanimously passes a 1 year ban on data center applications (2025-08-22)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Louisiana regulators approve Entergy gas plants for Meta campus
Richland Parish, Louisiana, United States · Meta
The Louisiana PSC voted 4-1 to let Entergy build three gas plants to supply Meta's Richland Parish AI data center, with the dissenting commissioner questioning costs such as transmission charges that could fall on other customers.
What happened: lawsuit · Outcome:approval annulled. The rezoning was voided because the hearing notices were defective.
Court voids Prince William Digital Gateway rezoning
Gainesville, Prince William County, Virginia, United States · QTS
A circuit judge voided the December 2023 county rezoning for a planned 37-building, 2,100-acre data center corridor near Manassas National Battlefield, finding the public hearing notices did not meet state and county requirements. The suit was brought by twelve nearby residents.
land uselandscapetransparency
WTOP News, Judge voids Digital Gateway rezoning in Prince William County (2025-08-09)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: referendum or vote · Outcome:project stopped. The council ended the negotiations for the campus.
Tucson council ends talks on Amazon-linked Project Blue
Tucson, Arizona, United States · Amazon
Tucson's city council voted unanimously to stop negotiations over annexation and development of a 290-acre data center campus tied to AWS, after weeks of public anger over secrecy and water and power demands. The council also moved to draft rules for large water users and future data centers.
waterelectricitytransparency
KOLD News 13, Tucson City Council votes to end Project Blue (2025-08-06)
AZ Luminaria, Tucson City Council rejects Project Blue data center amid intense community pressure (2025-08-06)
Hume City Council votes for scrutiny of data centre water demand
City of Hume, Victoria, Australia
A Melbourne outer-north council voted to develop a plan for managing data centres' water and energy needs and urged stronger state planning controls, after FOI documents showed multiple applications for large municipal water allocations.
waterelectricityland use
ABC News, Hume City Council sounds alarm on 'tidal wave' of data centre water applications (2025-08-26)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
SELC, for the NAACP and Young, Gifted & Green, appealed the county health department's July 2025 permit for 15 gas turbines at xAI's South Memphis data center, arguing dozens of turbines had run unpermitted in an area already failing smog standards.
Southern Environmental Law Center, Groups appeal permit for xAI's South Memphis data center, decisions around unpermitted methane gas turbines (2025-07-16)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Guro residents protest KT Cloud data center under construction
Guro-gu, Seoul, South Korea · KT
Residents of rental apartments next to a KT Cloud data center under construction in Seoul's Guro District hung banners demanding a halt, citing fears over electromagnetic fields, noise and heat; construction continued.
healthnoiseheat
Korea JoongAng Daily, Data center construction sparks NIMBY opposition amid Korea's big AI push (2025-07-31)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: moratorium · Outcome:proposed, not adopted
Norway moves to temporarily ban new crypto-mining data centers
Norway
Norway's government proposed a temporary ban on new proof-of-work crypto-mining data centers from autumn 2025, arguing they use much power while creating few jobs; the source describes the measure as pending approval.
electricityjobsemissions
CoinDesk, Norway Plans Ban on New Crypto Mining Data Centers to Preserve Power (2025-06-23)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: grid restriction · Outcome:rule adopted
Texas SB 6 sets curtailment and cost rules for large loads
Texas, United States
Texas enacted a law requiring new loads of 75 MW or more to accept remote curtailment during grid emergencies and adding interconnection fees, disclosure rules and a demand-response program aimed largely at data centers.
electricity
Utility Dive, Texas law gives grid operator power to disconnect data centers during crisis (2025-06-25)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: permit refused · Outcome:project approved
Government overturns Three Rivers refusal of Abbots Langley green belt data centre
Abbots Langley (Bedmond Road), Three Rivers, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Three Rivers District Council refused an 84,000 sq m data centre on green belt land, but the Secretary of State granted permission on appeal, finding it was not inappropriate green belt development; the council leader said the village gained little.
What happened: moratorium · Outcome:moratorium active
Amsterdam bars new data centres and expansions
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Following a late-2023 freeze, Amsterdam said it would allow no new data centres or expansions, citing scarce space and grid capacity, with exceptions only for applications filed before 28 December 2023.
land useelectricity
NL Times, Amsterdam not allowing any more data centers in the municipality (2025-04-18)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
High Court dismisses challenge to Art Data Centres campus in Ennis
Ennis, County Clare, Ireland · 200 MW stated in the source
Objectors including Friends of the Irish Environment and Futureproof Clare sought judicial review of the 2024 permission for a 200MW campus near Ennis; the High Court dismissed the challenge, clearing the project.
What happened: zoning change · Outcome:rule adopted
Loudoun County ends by-right data center approvals
Loudoun County, Virginia, United States
Loudoun County supervisors amended the zoning ordinance so data centers require a special exception with public hearings instead of administrative by-right approval, with grandfathering limited to earlier applications more than 500 feet from homes.
land uselandscapenoise
Holland & Knight, Loudoun County, Virginia, Eliminates By-Right Data Center Development (2025-04-04)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: permit refused · Outcome:one part of the project refused. Running the data centre on on-site gas was refused.
Planning appeals board rejects Equinix gas-powered data centre in Clondalkin
Clondalkin (Nangor Road), County Dublin, Ireland · Equinix
An Bord Pleanála upheld the refusal of Equinix's bid to run a Clondalkin data centre on on-site gas in the absence of a grid connection, finding it inconsistent with national climate commitments.
electricityemissions
Irish Examiner, Planning permission for Dublin data centre denied following appeal (2025-02-26)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: grid restriction · Outcome:rule adopted
Georgia PSC makes large-load customers bear grid costs
Georgia, United States
Georgia's utility regulator unanimously adopted a rule letting Georgia Power charge new customers above 100 MW for grid costs and requiring PSC review of their contracts, to shield households from data center-driven rate increases.
electricity
The Current GA, Georgia PSC passes rule for data centers' power usage (2025-01-24)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Querétaro residents press for water disclosure amid data center boom
Colón (Viborillas), Querétaro, México
Residents of drought-prone Querétaro, some facing water rationing and power cuts, have organised through groups such as the Antorchista movement and Voceras de la Madre Tierra to demand information on how much water is allocated to data centres. State officials reject blaming the shortages on the sector, and data centres in industrial parks are exempt from environmental impact reports.
Opposition to Amazon request to raise water use at Aragón data centers
Aragón, Spain · Amazon
Amazon asked Aragón's government to increase water consumption at its three existing data centers by 48%, prompting campaigners to criticise the timing over the Christmas period and call for a moratorium on new data centers in Spain.
Residents and township sue Farmington over Tract data center
Farmington, Dakota County, Minnesota, United States
Residents sued to stop a 2.5 million sq ft, 340-acre data center park approved by Farmington, and Castle Rock Township filed its own suit over the annexation agreement; residents dropped their case in September 2026 over costs while the township suit continued.
land usenoisewaterelectricity
Government Technology, Farmington, Minn., Residents Sue to Stop Data Center Park (2025-01-09)
Blandin on Broadband, Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development withdraws lawsuit due in Farmington to litigation costs (Dakota County) (2026-09-09)
Goyang Deogi-dong data center approved after 18 months of delays amid protests
Goyang (Deogi-dong, Ilsan), Gyeonggi, South Korea · GS Group
A GS Group-affiliated data center in Goyang's Deogi-dong faced 18 months of permit delays and administrative appeals before being cleared for construction in November 2024; residents opposed it over electromagnetic fields, noise and heat, and a February 2024 city briefing was cancelled amid protests.
healthnoiseheat
Korea JoongAng Daily, Data center construction sparks NIMBY opposition amid Korea's big AI push (2025-07-31)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: permit refused · Outcome:several applications rejected. Four of 14 applications were rejected.
Johor rejects nearly 30% of data centre bids over water and utility strain
Johor, Malaysia
A vetting committee set up by the Johor state government in June 2024 rejected four of 14 data centre applications within five months, citing sites lacking adequate utility infrastructure that could strain local water supplies.
waterelectricity
Malay Mail, Official: Johor snubbed 30pc of data centre bids for not meeting sustainability goals (2024-11-20)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: zoning change · Outcome:project stopped. The zoning change blocked the planned campus.
Peculiar removes data centers from zoning code, blocking Diode campus
Peculiar, Cass County, Missouri, United States
Following resident pushback, Peculiar's aldermen removed the data center definition from the light industrial zoning code, blocking a planned $1.5bn, roughly 500-acre technology park.
landscapenoiseland use
DCD, Peculiar officials in Missouri remove data centers from ordinance, blocking $1.5bn Diode project (2024-10-23)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Marseille collective contests Digital Realty's MRS5 data center at the port
Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France · Digital Realty
A coalition of Marseille groups held a press conference opposing Digital Realty's planned MRS5 data center in a former port sugar silo, citing water and electricity pressure and land-use conflicts, and called for public control over digital infrastructure.
waterelectricityland usetransparency
Banque des Territoires, Datacenters et impact environnemental : la contestation s'ancre à Marseille (2024-09-19)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: permit refused · Outcome:one part of the project refused. The third phase of the campus was refused; Google appealed.
South Dublin council refuses Google's Grange Castle data centre expansion
South Dublin (Grange Castle Business Park), County Dublin, Ireland · Google
South Dublin County Council refused the third phase of Google's Grange Castle campus, citing insufficient grid capacity, limited on-site renewables, unclear power purchase agreements, no district-heating link and loss of green infrastructure; Google appealed.
electricityemissionsheatbiodiversity
RTÉ, South Dublin Council refuses Google Ireland data centre planning permission (2024-08-28)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: grid restriction · Outcome:moratorium active
Taiwan halts approvals for data centres over 5MW north of Taoyuan
North of Taoyuan, Northern Taiwan, Taiwan · 5 MW stated in the source
Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs said it had stopped approving data centres above 5MW north of Taoyuan because of a grid bottleneck, with the last large approvals given in September 2023; Taipower steered projects toward central and southern Taiwan.
electricity
DCD, Taiwan to stop large data centers in the North, cites insufficient power (2024-08-19)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: heat reuse commitment · Outcome:commitment in place
Equinix PA10 waste heat supplies Saint-Denis district and Olympic Aquatic Centre
Saint-Denis (Plaine Commune), Île-de-France, France · Equinix
Heat recovered from Equinix's PA10 data center is upgraded by heat pumps and supplied free of charge for 15 years to the Plaine Saulnier development zone, including the Olympic Aquatic Centre used during Paris 2024.
heatemissions
Data Center Knowledge, Paris 2024: Excess Data Center Heat Used to Warm Olympic Swimming Pools (2024-07-26)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: water dispute · Outcome:project approved with conditions
Google's Uruguay data center approved after drought-era water backlash
Parque de las Ciencias (Canelones), Canelones, Uruguay · Google
Google's original plan in the Parque de las Ciencias free trade zone, expected to use up to 7.6 million litres of potable water a day, drew concern during Uruguay's severe 2023 drought. The company downsized the project and switched to air cooling, after which the Environment Ministry approved it.
water
DCD, Google's Uruguay data center approved after reformulation (2024-07-28)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: project withdrawn · Outcome:project stopped. The developer withdrew its application.
Developer withdraws $1.3bn Chesterton data center
Chesterton, Porter County, Indiana, United States
Provident Realty Advisors pulled its eight-building data center application after residents raised noise, property value, air and water concerns and the town council said it could not support the project at that scale and location.
What happened: heat reuse commitment · Outcome:commitment in place
Google to supply Hamina data center heat free to district heating
Hamina, Kymenlaakso, Finland · Google
Google announced its first offsite heat recovery project, routing Hamina data center heat free of charge (nominal fee) to city-owned Haminan Energia to cover about 80% of the local network's annual heat demand.
heatemissions
Google, Our first offsite heat recovery project lands in Finland (2024-05-20)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: heat reuse commitment · Outcome:project approved with conditions
Wallonia permits Google Feluy data centre with heat-recovery and buffer conditions
Feluy / Écaussinnes (Seneffe), Wallonia, Belgium · Google
The Walloon Region granted a 36-hectare, three-building Google campus with conditions reflecting the commune's public-inquiry demands, including a 20 m green buffer, flood-limiting measures and heat recovery for public buildings or industry; local opposition has continued.
heatnoiseland usejobs
RTBF, Zoning de Feluy-Écaussinnes : feu vert pour le data center Google (2024-04-10)
Stuut, Appel à soutenir les luttes locales contre google ! (2026-09-04)
Water concerns and 'Tu Nube Seca Mi Río' campaign over Meta's Talavera de la Reina campus
Talavera de la Reina (Toledo), Castilla-La Mancha, Spain · Meta
Meta's planned campus (announced in 2022; this source gives €1.1bn, other reporting differs, see the linked project), declared a regional project of singular interest, drew scrutiny over projected drinking-water use in a drought-prone basin; the Tu Nube Seca Mi Río campaign formed in response while Meta revised cooling to cut water use.
What happened: lawsuit · Outcome:approval annulled. The approval was partly revoked; Google said it would restart with a redesigned cooling system.
Environmental court partially revokes Google Cerrillos permit over aquifer risk
Cerrillos, Región Metropolitana de Santiago, Chile · Google
A Chilean environmental court partially overturned the 2020 approval of Google's US$200m Cerrillos data center, requiring the water assessment of the Santiago aquifer to account for climate change. In September 2024 Google paused the permit process and said it would restart with a redesigned, less water-intensive cooling system.
water
Semafor, Chile Google data center gets permit partially revoked (2024-02-28)
DCD, Google pauses Chilean data center project to rethink water use (2024-09-20)
Start Campus Sines executives arrested in 'Operation Influencer' corruption probe
Sines, Setúbal, Portugal · Start Campus · 495 MW stated in the source
A corruption and influence-peddling probe covering the Sines data center campus led to arrests of Start Campus executives, who resigned, and to Prime Minister António Costa's resignation; a judge later dropped charges against the five detainees.
What happened: zoning change · Outcome:rule adopted
Marseille council adopts strategy to regulate data centers and subsea cables
Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Marseille's municipal council voted a strategy to plan and regulate data center and subsea cable siting, creating a consultative commission and criteria such as use of already-developed land, renewable energy and waste-heat recovery.
electricityland usebiodiversityheat
Made in Marseille, Marseille veut réguler l'implantation des câbles sous-marins et data centers (2023-11-06)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: referendum or vote · Outcome:project stopped. The new port board cancelled the project.
Cascade Locks voters recall port officials over data center
Cascade Locks, Oregon, United States
Voters recalled two port commissioners who backed a $100 million data center proposal, and the new board cancelled the project the following month amid concerns about utility rates and the developer's credibility.
electricityother
Data Center Watch, $64 billion of data center projects have been blocked or delayed amid local opposition, Data Center Watch (2025)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Residents sue over Warrenton's Amazon data center permit
Warrenton, Fauquier County, Virginia, United States · Amazon
A local nonprofit and ten residents sued to overturn the town council's February 2023 special-use permit for a 220,000 sq ft Amazon data center; the case was argued in June 2026 with no ruling yet, and the town had since removed data centers as a permitted industrial use.
land usenoiselandscapetransparency
FauquierNow, UPDATE: Warrenton residents, environmental nonprofit file lawsuit in hopes of overturning Amazon data center decision (2023-03-21)
FauquierNow, Judge hears arguments in lawsuit seeking to halt Amazon data center in Warrenton (2026-06-16)
What happened: zoning change · Outcome:rule adopted
Chandler adopts data center zoning and noise ordinance
Chandler, Arizona, United States
Chandler limited new data centers to planned-area-development zoning and required baseline and follow-up sound studies, noise mitigation, neighbour meetings and restricted generator testing, citing noise complaints near homes.
noiseland use
City of Chandler, Chandler's data center ordinance now in effect (2023-01-11)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
The Dalles agrees to release Google data center water use
The Dalles, Oregon, United States · Google
After a 13-month court fight to keep Google's water consumption secret following a newspaper records request, the city settled and agreed to disclose ten years of past data and annual figures going forward.
watertransparency
Courthouse News Service, Oregon city drops fight to keep Google water use private (2022-12-15)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: project withdrawn · Outcome:project stopped. Meta abandoned the project.
Meta drops Zeewolde hyperscale data centre after local backlash
Zeewolde (Trekkersveld), Flevoland, Netherlands · Meta
After opposition gains in the March 2022 local election and the state's refusal to sell the land, Meta abandoned its Zeewolde plan; the zoning plan was later annulled by the Council of State in September 2023.
land useelectricityheat
NL Times, Facebook completely withdraws plan for controversial data center (2022-07-01)
NOS, Hoogste bestuursrechter zet definitief streep door datacenter Zeewolde (2023-09-20)
West London grid capacity shortage delays housing amid data centre demand
Hillingdon, Ealing and Hounslow, Greater London, United Kingdom
The GLA warned in July 2022 that the grid in three West London boroughs was running out of capacity for new homes, with data centre growth along the M4 corridor absorbing capacity; some connections were quoted into the 2030s.
electricityland use
LandTech, Has grid capacity stopped construction in West London? (2023-04-05)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
The new coalition in one of two municipalities designated for hyperscale data centres said it would restrict further hyperscale development and investigate past decision-making, citing rapid growth with little resident input.
land uselandscapetransparency
NOS, Een van de twee gemeenten voor megadatacenters stribbelt tegen (2022-06-28)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: zoning change · Outcome:rule adopted
Frankfurt adopts zoning concept steering data centre locations
Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany
Frankfurt's city council approved a concept classifying commercial areas as suitable, restricted or excluded for standalone data centres, alongside a planned city-wide heat concept to use data-centre waste heat.
What happened: heat reuse commitment · Outcome:commitment in place
Fortum and Microsoft agree to heat Espoo-area homes with data center waste heat
Espoo / Kirkkonummi, Uusimaa, Finland · Microsoft
Fortum and Microsoft announced that waste heat from Microsoft's new Helsinki-area data centers would supply about 40% of district heating for Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi, serving some 250,000 users.
heatemissions
Fortum, Fortum and Microsoft announce world's largest collaboration to heat homes, services and businesses with sustainable waste heat from new data centre region (2022-03-17)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: moratorium · Outcome:moratorium lifted
Dutch government pauses new hyperscale data centres
National, Netherlands
The national government announced a nine-month halt on new hyperscale data centres (sites above 10 hectares and 70 MW) while it drafted rules, excluding sites already planned at Zeewolde, Eemshaven and Middenmeer. The halt was replaced by a permanent national rule, in force in the Besluit kwaliteit leefomgeving (art. 5.161ba–5.161bc), that bars hyperscale data centres outside designated locations.
land useelectricity
DutchNews.nl, Dutch call a halt to new massive data centres, while rules are worked out (2022-02-17)
What happened: moratorium · Outcome:moratorium lifted
Singapore ends 2019 data centre moratorium with selective approvals
Singapore
Singapore had paused new data centre development since 2019 over energy and land constraints; in January 2022 the trade minister told Parliament new projects would resume, but only resource-efficient, best-in-class facilities would be selected.
electricityland useemissions
DCD, Singapore lifts data center moratorium - but sets conditions (2022-01-12)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: grid restriction · Outcome:moratorium active
EirGrid halts new data centre grid connections in Greater Dublin until 2028
Greater Dublin Area, Leinster, Ireland
The transmission operator EirGrid classified the Greater Dublin area as constrained and said it would not connect new data centres there until 2028, assessing applications elsewhere case by case.
electricity
Construction Business, EirGrid confirms it will not connect more data centres in Dublin until 2028 (2022-01-11)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: grid restriction · Outcome:moratorium active
Landsvirkjun curbs power to crypto data centers and refuses new miners
Iceland
Iceland's national power company restricted supply to energy-intensive customers including crypto-mining data centers amid low hydro reserves and said it would turn down new mining customers.
electricity
The Cryptonomist, Iceland limits electricity for crypto mining (2021-12-10)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
The two municipalities paused new data centres over space and energy use; in 2020 they replaced the pause with policy confining new builds to designated zones with strict efficiency requirements such as a PUE of 1.2.
land useelectricity
Dutch Data Center Association, Two years after the Amsterdam moratorium, where does its data center industry stand? (2021-06-01)
What happened: heat reuse commitment · Outcome:commitment in place
Meta Odense data center heat feeds Fjernvarme Fyn district heating
Odense, Region of Southern Denmark, Denmark · Meta
A heat pump plant began recovering surplus heat from Meta's Odense data center in late 2019 and supplies it to Fjernvarme Fyn's district heating network, serving more than 12,000 homes.
heatemissions
Ramboll, Meta: surplus heat to district heating (2019)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
What happened: project withdrawn · Outcome:project stopped. Apple dropped the project.
Apple abandons Athenry data centre after years of legal challenges
Athenry (Derrydonnell Woods), County Galway, Ireland · Apple
Apple said planning delays forced it to drop its Athenry data centre announced in 2015, after objectors took appeals through the High Court and Supreme Court.
land useelectricityemissions
RTÉ, Apple scraps plans for Athenry data centre (2018-05-10)
Only one source so far: treat this case with more caution.
Candidate events were identified with web searches (English and local-language press, government and court sites) across four regional sweeps (US/Canada, north-west Europe, southern/northern Europe, rest of world). An event was kept only if at least one source URL was fetched during research and its content confirmed the date, place, event type and outcome recorded; unconfirmable candidates were dropped. Summaries are written in neutral own words. Coordinates are municipality or region centroids from OpenStreetMap Nominatim unless a site is known (location precision says which). Links to inventory facilities (facility links) are made automatically for site-level events only, when operator and location match unambiguously. The list is a documented sample, not an exhaustive census.
Licence CC BY 4.0. Cite: Datacenter Atlas (2026). Conflict atlas. https://www.datacenter-atlas.com/conflicts