Seattle data center moratorium leaves two major projects advancing

October 3, 2026 at 06:00 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Two large data center projects in Seattle are moving forward despite a city moratorium, because their permit applications were filed before the ban took effect. The projects, by Equinix and Digital Realty, could add nearly 100 megawatts of peak electricity demand to the city grid. Seattle City Light has developed a framework to limit their impact on other customers.

Key Facts

Equinix is advancing a 54-megawatt data center in Sodo, with environmental permits submitted to the state in June.
Digital Realty filed a land-use permit for a six-story downtown data center at the end of May, less than two weeks before the moratorium.
The two projects together could add nearly 100 megawatts of peak demand to Seattle's grid, which averages about 1,100 megawatts.
Seattle City Light estimates the Equinix project will require $7.7 million in grid upgrades plus $450,000 in shared mitigation costs.
Seattle has about 30 data centers, mostly small, consuming about 5% of the city's electricity last year.

Moratorium Exemptions

The Seattle City Council passed a one-year moratorium on new large data centers after receiving more than 54,000 messages of public alarm. The moratorium does not apply to projects that submitted permit applications before the ban took effect. Equinix, a California-based developer, submitted environmental permits to the state in June for a nine-story data center in Sodo with parking for 264 vehicles. Digital Realty, based in Austin, Texas, filed a land-use permit application for a six-story downtown data center at the end of May.

Grid Impact

The Equinix and Digital Realty projects could add nearly 100 megawatts of peak electricity demand to Seattle's grid. Seattle uses about 1,100 megawatts on average and up to 2,000 megawatts at peak. A March study by Seattle City Light found the Equinix project would need a new dedicated transmission connection, a new Equinix-owned substation, and upgrades to the existing Sodo substation. City Light estimated those upgrades would cost about $7.7 million plus $450,000 in shared mitigation costs, excluding Equinix's own on-site substation. Seattle City Light has developed a framework for serving large data centers that includes requiring them to turn off at certain times to limit impact on other customers.