WASHINGTON, OREGON — A new report from Columbia Riverkeeper is raising concerns about the impact of data centers on renewable energy efforts in Washington and Oregon. The report identifies more than 100 data centers in development across 12 counties along the Columbia River.

Kelly Campbell, policy director for Columbia Riverkeeper, highlighted the rising power demand due to these data centers and the shift back to fossil fuels. 

“We’re looking at having to put together four new Seattle’s worth of energy in order to power all these data centers,” Campbell said in a release by Washington News Service. “My question would be, why? We shouldn’t be going back to using more fossil fuels to power data centers.”

The report calls for stricter regulations on data centers, including transparency on water and energy use and a ban on fossil fuels and new nuclear power. It also urges tech companies to develop renewable energy sources to keep the region on track with climate goals.

A bill in Washington state aimed at regulating data centers failed this year, with opposition from companies such as Microsoft and Amazon. 

According to the report, the data center industry’s power demand is expected to reach 35 million megawatt-hours by 2029. This figure equates to adding the energy demand of four cities the size of Seattle. 

Counties such as Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Walla Walla in Washington, along with Morrow, Umatilla, and Wasco in Oregon, are identified as key locations for data center development. 

The Port of Walla Walla Commission is evaluating a significant land sale for a potential $5 billion project that would feature a sixteen-building campus along the Columbia River, approximately 10 miles south of McNary Wildlife Refuge.

In Benton County, a Swiss fertilizer company, Atlas Agro, is proposing to build the county’s first data center campus. This project, adjacent to the company’s planned “green” fertilizer plant, would require at least 320 megawatts to power the facility and five additional data center buildings. 

And the West Richland City Council has already adjusted municipal codes to allow the construction of data centers in areas zoned as urban transition and light industrial, paving the way for potential developments.

Across Umatilla and Morrow counties in Oregon, Amazon owns multiple data center campuses.

Umatilla Electric Cooperative has raised residential rates several times due to increased demand from data centers, the report said. The Hermiston City Council annexed 800 acres to attract more data centers, contributing to changes in local infrastructure and utility rates.

Columbia Riverkeeper is advocating for a moratorium on new data center construction, stressing that these centers should cover their own energy costs.