"From the rural farmlands of western New York, to the pristine hills of the Finger Lakes, to the beaches of Long Island: a slate of brand new AI data centers are in the process of connecting to New York's power grid and awaiting approval while corporate giants and government officials haphazardly push through pesky environmental regulations and build out the infrastructure necessary to power them."
"As of Nov. 28, 2025, the latest piece of fossil fuel infrastructure needed to keep up with exponential power requirements was officially approved: the controversial North East Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline, a massive natural gas pipeline set to pump over 400,000 dekatherms of fracked gas from Pennsylvania to New York. A last-ditch effort by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) for a rehearing on the decision was dismissed on Dec. 22, and construction will need to begin soon to stay on track with the projected 2027 completion date."
"The boom of these hyperscaled data centers is largely driven by or intended for use by cryptocurrency mining, speculative A.I., military, or fossil fuel companies. The number of these facilities has doubled over just four years, over 5,400 now in the U.S. Their developers use the promise of jobs and economic growth to get approval, ensnaring local townships and communities in decades-long legal battles."
More than half of the 25 projects added this year to New York's power grid interconnection queue are data centers. These energy-intensive projects are connecting to the grid and are expected to increase electricity demand by over 7,000 megawatts by 2030. One megawatt can power about 1,000 New York homes for a year, according to NYISO. The North East Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline received approval on Nov. 28, 2025, to transport over 400,000 dekatherms of fracked gas from Pennsylvania to New York. A rehearing request by the NRDC was dismissed on Dec. 22, requiring prompt construction for a projected 2027 completion. The build-out is largely driven by cryptocurrency mining, speculative A.I., military, and fossil fuel companies, with developers promising jobs and economic growth and triggering prolonged legal battles in local communities.
Read at www.amny.com
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