Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has floated a moratorium on new data centers in the city, citing economic and environmental concerns. The move comes after four companies approached the utility with plans that could add 369 MW of peak demand, roughly a third of Seattle’s daily consumption. Data centers have become a major driver of power demand in urban markets, with tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon investing heavily in facilities worldwide. In Seattle, the existing 30 centers are relatively small, but the proposed sites would be the first at this scale and could consume nearly ten times more power than the current ones at full capacity. The four companies have approached Seattle City Light about building five large‑scale data centers with a combined peak demand of 369 MW, equal to roughly a third of the city’s average daily power consumption. The proposed facilities would be the first at this scale in the city and could consume nearly 10 times more power than the existing ones at full capacity. Seattle City Light is rewriting its contract terms for large‑load customers and plans to require data center operators to secure their own power generation and pay for infrastructure upgrades rather than passing costs to ratepayers. Mayor Katie Wilson, Seattle mayor, said, "I share community concerns about environmental justice, economic resilience, and impacts of increased costs for Seattle rate payers." She added, "That’s why my team is working closely with Seattle City Light, City Council and stakeholders to identify a range of long‑term policy approaches, including exploring a moratorium on siting new centers." If the moratorium is adopted, Seattle could set a precedent for balancing urban growth with grid sustainability, while data center operators may need to seek alternative sites or invest in on‑site generation to meet the city’s revised contract terms.