Hillsboro Residents Push to Halt Data Center Expansion Amid Rising Power Costs

HILLSBORO, Ore. — As concerns over energy and farmland in Washington County unfold, the county, which has become a major data center hot spot in Oregon, is putting increasing pressure on energy, prompting a group of residents to run a petition to push back against further expansion.

Hillsboro Residents Sign Petition Over Growth Of Data Centers

Concerns have been raised about rising electricity costs, decreases in public funding, environmental strain, loss of farmland, and irreversible land impacts resulting from the growth of data centers in Hillsboro.

There are more than a dozen data centers in the city, and more are set to open, including a 350,000-square-foot 27-megawatt Flexentia data center and a 285,000-square-foot 36-megawatt Lewis site.

It is estimated that data centers consumed 11.4% of Oregon’s electricity in 2023, and large-scale facilities can use up to 4.5 million gallons of water daily.

Residential electricity rates in Hillsboro have risen by nearly 50%, while data centers pay less than half that rate per kilowatt-hour.

Data centers also received major tax breaks from the state, while funding for public services has been reduced.

But communities across the state are raising concerns about energy demand, water use, and utility prices.

And a bill that would have rezoned 1,700 acres of farmland for industrial development and expanded tax breaks for large companies and data centers was shot down last month.

Hillsboro City Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair asked local leaders to study the long-term impacts of data centers on the economy, environment, and energy use, and created a petition calling for a temporary moratorium on new data center development.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announced in January that a statewide Data Center Advisory Committee would develop policy recommendations and actions to address concerns about new data centers, while officials temporarily paused some tax incentives for new data center projects.

Although companies operating data centers in Hillsboro have agreed to purchase at least 10% of their services from local vendors, the petitioners say there is a lot more to consider.

Of the 2,000 signatures needed, the petition already had over 1,300 by early this morning. The Hillsboro petition seeking a pause on data centers can be found here.