Pennsylvania Data Center Projects Have Faced Opposition
Proposed projects threaten to increase state capacity by nearly 60 times, triggering resident-led backlash.
Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Data Centers
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Pennsylvania currently hosts 15 operating data centers with a total capacity of 311 megawatts. A surge in development proposals aims to expand that capacity to 18,155 megawatts, prompting public opposition across the Philadelphia region.
Why it matters
The massive scale of proposed energy infrastructure has drawn scrutiny from communities concerned about local impact. In response, Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order to establish regulatory guardrails for future facility developments.
The state currently maintains a capacity of 311 megawatts across 15 operating facilities. Proposals in the pipeline seek to bring that total to 18,155 megawatts, though only five projects have secured the necessary operating permits.
The players
Josh Shapiro
The Governor of Pennsylvania who recently signed an executive order to regulate data center development projects.
Amazon
The technology giant that operates the largest existing data center in Pennsylvania, located in Luzerne County.
The details
Developers have proposed massive projects like Sentinel's in East Whiteland Township and Project Laurel in Limerick Township. These facilities function as centralized hubs for server hardware, requiring significant power to manage the heat and processing demands of modern computing. Following public outcry, Governor Josh Shapiro issued an executive order to codify oversight and planning requirements for new sites.
Timeline
September 2026: Governor Shapiro discussed the status of state permitting for data centers.
The Tech Race
Pennsylvania is navigating a significant shift in infrastructure as it balances a massive influx of proposed data center capacity against local regulatory requirements. This environment marks a departure from historical development patterns by formalizing state-level oversight via Governor Josh Shapiro's executive order.
Residents in areas like Plymouth, Upper Merion, and Falls Townships are currently engaged in active campaigns to address the scale of planned projects. Future development timelines will depend on whether proposals clear the newly mandated state regulatory guardrails.
The takeaway
The sheer scale of the 18,155-megawatt proposal highlights the intense pressure on state infrastructure. Readers should monitor the status of the five projects that already hold permits to see how new regulatory mandates affect their construction timelines.
Further reading
For more on how major infrastructure is changing the landscape of the industry, see our coverage of Data Centers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Axios.
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Should your local community support the development of large-scale data centers in your area?
