About one-third of the data centers slated to open this year will be delayed — or may never be built at all, according to a new report from an energy research firm.
Sightline Climate found that developers plan to complete 140 projects this year, representing 16 gigawatts of new energy demand. But in a report published Tuesday, the firm estimated that between 30 and 50 percent of those projects will be delayed until at least 2027, thanks to power constraints, community opposition and grid equipment shortages.
That would be an increase from the 26 percent of planned data centers not completed last year, according to the report.
Delays are often the clearest public indication that a development is dead, said Olivia Wang, a research analyst at Sightline who authored the report.
