Satellite and drone images reveal big delays in US data center construction

Many tech companies are even installing their own on-site power plants, with a heavy reliance on natural gas turbines. An analysis by the market intelligence platform Cleanview highlighted data center developers using mobile gas generators on semi trucks and turbine engines originally designed for aircraft and warships.

There is also growing resistance from communities all across the US to data centers. For example, Virginia, known as “the data center capital of the world,” has seen public opinion turn sharply against new data center development. In a recent poll, a majority of Virginians described concerns about data center land use and environmental impacts, along with worries about the negative impact on home electricity bills. It has now been well documented that data center development can pressure utility companies to raise electricity bills for all local and regional customers.

The Trump administration responded to concerns about the energy costs surrounding data centers in March 2026 by announcing major tech companies as having signed on to a Ratepayer Protection Pledge, although the agreement lacks any meaningful legal enforcement or practical implementation. Microsoft, on its own, has pledged to pay the full electricity costs for its data centers in an effort to prevent broader rate increases for local communities.

Such gestures have not stopped local lawmakers from considering statewide bans on data center development. Maine legislators recently became the first to pass an 18-month moratorium on approvals for new data centers requiring more than 20 megawatts of power, although Maine Governor Janet Mills must still decide whether to veto the legislation or let it become law.