Beyond the Megawatt: Why Data Center Site Selection Is Now a Three-Front Battle
Data Center Knowledge, Monday, October 5th, 2026
New state rules mean data center projects now must handle grid cost, water use and community benefit, not just power.
For three years, finding power was the main test for data center site selection, but a late-September wave of state actions has changed that.
California's new laws make developers pay the full incremental cost of grid upgrades, Massachusetts and other states are adding similar ratepayer protections, and water transparency and local land-use accountability are now additional hurdles.
The author argues that operators, real estate strategists and enterprise architects must plan across all three fronts for projects to survive.