Maine committee hears proposal to limit data centers’ access to hydropower at Millinocket redevelopment site

Chair Pro Tem Chris Kessler convened the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee public hearing on LD 912, an act addressing the use of electricity by data centers, with sponsor Senator Chip Curry urging a site‑specific amendment focused on the former Great Northern Paper Mill site in Millinocket.

Curry said the amended bill would “limit the amount of power that can be promised to data centers,” arguing the change would preserve power for the broader economic‑development goals of the site and region. He told the committee behind‑the‑meter agreements can be “an important economic development tool” but warned that if a single deep‑pocketed buyer “gobbles up” capacity, other job‑creating projects could be excluded.

Why this matters: Millinocket’s redevelopment proponents and the local developer 1 North say on‑site renewable hydropower is a key asset that could attract higher‑value industrial uses (salmon farming, biofuels) and help revive a region that lost large employers. But state agencies, the public advocate and utility stakeholders cautioned that data centers present distinct power, reliability and cost allocation issues that could affect ratepayers and the regional grid if treated as a general precedent.

What sponsors and…