Wilson says no new Seattle data centers greenlit, considers moratorium

After news about several companies hoping to build large-scale data centers in Seattle circulated last week, Mayor Katie Wilson said Saturday the city has not authorized nor permitted any new facilities and will explore a potential moratorium.

Four companies have approached Seattle City Light about building five data centers within the city, The Seattle Times reported on April 10. Data centers are the backbone of artificial intelligence software and come with a substantial energy demand. The five proposed centers would require at most 369 megawatts, roughly one-third of what the city uses on an average day.

The high energy demand of large centers could cause significant harm to the environment, critics say.

Wilson said the news of potential large data centers has raised alarms among constituents.

I share community concerns about environmental justice, economic resilience, and impacts of increased costs for Seattle rate payers," Wilson's Facebook post reads. "That's why my team is working closely with Seattle City Light, City Council and stakeholders to identify a range of long-term policy approaches, including exploring a moratorium on siting new centers.

A moratorium would temporarily prevent any new data center building permits from being approved.

Seattle already has 30 data centers, but they're relatively small.

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