Local Opposition Stalls 48 Data Center Projects Worth $156 Billion in 2025

Residents in Saline, Michigan, rejected a proposed $16 billion data center. Construction began weeks later despite the vote. At least 48 data center projects representing $156 billion in investment were blocked or stalled by local opposition in 2025, according to supply chain analyst Miquel Vila of 10a Labs.

Project cancellations rose from six in 2024 to 25 in 2025. In the first quarter of 2026, more than 20 additional projects were canceled.

There are now 188 local opposition groups operating across 40 states. Communities have cited rising electricity demand, water use, noise, and infrastructure strain as reasons for resistance. A Gallup survey found 71 percent of Americans would oppose a data center in their community.

State legislators have proposed construction moratoriums in more than a dozen states. Maine is considering a bill that would block new builds over 20 megawatts until late 2027. Prince George’s County, Maryland, has enacted a full pause on data center development.

11, Moody’s Ratings raised capital spending projections for Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Meta, Alphabet, Oracle, and CoreWeave to $785 billion for 2026 and nearly $1 trillion for 2027. The three largest hyperscalers added roughly $700 billion in contracted revenue backlogs over two quarters.

Since September 2025, investment-grade hyperscalers have issued around $240 billion in debt to fund construction. Their three largest players carry $209 billion in operating and finance lease obligations, with an additional $379 billion in leases yet to commence.

Blocked projects represent between 8 percent and 20 percent of a single year’s capital spending. Moody’s identifies semiconductor shortages as the more acute near-term constraint.