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Data centers in Pennsylvania: 86 projects mapped
Amazon is the biggest builder in Pennsylvania, with a pledge to spend $20 billion. It bought an existing data center and about 1,200 acres beside Talen Energy's nuclear plant in Salem Township, Luzerne County, where it plans up to 15 buildings, and plans a second campus in Falls Township, north of Philadelphia. It has applied for a local permit for 36 data centers at Homer City in Indiana County, next to a 4.5-gigawatt gas plant on the site of the state's largest former coal plant.
Local fights have stopped several projects. A 1,300-acre site in Hazle Township that Amazon is involved in was denied by local officials last year, and the developer has appealed. In Columbia Borough, Lancaster County, the council unanimously turned down a $6.4 million offer from Saadia Holdings to build on the former McGinness Airport land after more than 500 residents came to the meeting, organizer Taylor Enterline said. Projects in Blakely have also been blocked or delayed after public opposition.
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Townships across the state have given themselves about six months to write data center rules using a state-law tool called a curative amendment, which works as a pause: Center, Adams and Lancaster townships in Butler County, Brookville in Jefferson County and Granville in Mifflin County among them. Once a township starts the process, it does not have to consider landowners' requests to add data centers to its zoning. In Granville, plans for a data center were filed two days before the vote.
In Harrisburg, the House and Senate each passed a repeal of the state's sales tax break on data center equipment in June, but neither version reached Gov. Josh Shapiro before the budget. The break is projected to cost $188.4 million in 2026-27. The Senate returned September 28 with 11 session days scheduled for the rest of the year.
36 counties with tracked projects
Only places with at least one project have a page.
- Lackawanna County13
- Allegheny County8
- Montgomery County6
- Lehigh County5
- Luzerne County5
- Beaver County4
- Chester County4
- Berks County3
- Washington County3
- Carbon County2
- Dauphin County2
- Lancaster County2
- Montour County2
- Northampton County2
- Schuylkill County2
- Union County2
- York County2
- Armstrong County1
- Bradford County1
- Bucks County1
- Butler County1
- Cambria County1
- Centre County1
- Cumberland County1
- Greene County1
- Indiana County1
- Lawrence County1
- Lebanon County1
- Lycoming County1
- Mercer County1
- Mifflin County1
- Monroe County1
- Perry County1
- Philadelphia County1
- Venango County1
- Westmoreland County1
Where this comes from
The reporting above was written from these. Open one and check it yourself.
Where people here have won
Projects stopped by a vote, pulled by their developer, or blocked in court.
| Place | What happened | Date | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Merion Township (King of Prussia)MLP Ventures (Brian O'Neill) | Denied by a vote Board of Supervisors unanimously denied all five sites. The developer is suing. | Aug 13, 2026 | 4.6 million sq ft | |
| East Vincent TownshipPennhurst Holdings LLC | Denied by a vote Board of Supervisors unanimously denied the conditional use, developer says it will appeal in court. | May 21, 2026 | 1.9 million sq ft, 125 acres | |
| South Annville TownshipInch & Co. / Eastern Land & Resources | Withdrawn by the developer The developer withdrew its rezoning after the planning commission voted against it and residents organized protests. | May 12, 2026 | 99 acres, 5 buildings, about 640,000 sq ft | |
| Columbia BoroughSaadia Holding LLC | Denied by a vote Borough council rejected the land bid for a data center. | May 2026 | Not reported | Story off site ↗ |
| Montour CountyTalen Energy | Denied by a vote County commissioners voted 3-0 to deny the rezoning. | Feb 10, 2026 | 800+ acres | |
| Plymouth TownshipO'Neill Properties | Withdrawn by the developer The township planning board unanimously refused to recommend it in October, and the applicant withdrew at the zoning hearing board the following month. | Nov 18, 2025 | 66 acres | |
| Hazle Township, Luzerne CountyNorthPoint Development (Project Hazelnut), reportedly for AWS | Denied by a vote Supervisors voted 3-0 to deny the land plans after 200+ residents packed the meeting, and a judge threw out NorthPoint's appeal in May 2026. | Nov 14, 2025 | about 1,282 acres, 15 buildings | |
| Blakely, Lackawanna County | Withdrawn by the developer The developer withdrew its plans after large crowds turned out against it. | Sep 2025 | Not reported |
Moratoriums and bans in effect
Places in Pennsylvania that have paused or banned new data centers.
| Place | Type | Started | Ends | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ReadingTown or city | Moratorium | Jul 22, 2026 | Jan 22, 2027 | Record off site ↗ |
| Lancaster TownshipTown or city | Moratorium | Jul 21, 2026 | Jan 17, 2027 | Record off site ↗ |
| Adams TownshipTown or city | Moratorium | Jul 13, 2026 | Jan 9, 2027 | Record off site ↗ |
| BrookvilleTown or city | Moratorium | Jun 24, 2026 | Dec 21, 2026 | Record off site ↗ |
| Center TownshipTown or city | Moratorium | Jun 10, 2026 | Dec 7, 2026 | Record off site ↗ |
| Upper BurrellTown or city | Moratorium | May 15, 2026 | Nov 2, 2026 | Record off site ↗ |
| Muncy TownshipTown or city | Moratorium | May 1, 2026 | Feb 1, 2027 | Record off site ↗ |
| Clinton TownshipTown or city | Moratorium | Apr 30, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 | Record off site ↗ |
Zoning limits on data centers
Rules short of a pause: setbacks, noise caps, permit requirements and district limits.
| Place | Type | Started | Ends | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pequea TownshipTown or city | Zoning limits | Aug 19, 2026 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| LancasterTown or city | Zoning limits | Jul 14, 2026 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| AllentownTown or city | Zoning limits | Jun 17, 2026 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| Hazle TownshipTown or city | Zoning limits | Jun 8, 2026 | Dec 5, 2026 | Record off site ↗ |
| Nescopeck BoroughTown or city | Zoning limits | Jun 5, 2026 | Dec 2, 2026 | Record off site ↗ |
| Franklin County | Zoning limits | May 20, 2026 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| Butler TownshipTown or city | Zoning limits | May 12, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | Record off site ↗ |
| Pine Creek TownshipTown or city | Zoning limits | May 8, 2026 | Nov 4, 2026 | Record off site ↗ |
| GilpinTown or city | Zoning limits | Apr 23, 2026 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| Olyphant BoroughTown or city | Zoning limits | Apr 14, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | Record off site ↗ |
| Londonderry TownshipTown or city | Zoning limits | Feb 11, 2026 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| South StrabaneTown or city | Zoning limits | Feb 4, 2026 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| Susquehanna County | Zoning limits | Dec 29, 2025 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| MayfieldTown or city | Zoning limits | Dec 10, 2025 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| Union TownshipTown or city | Zoning limits | Jun 10, 2025 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| Black Creek TownshipTown or city | Zoning limits | May 8, 2025 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| ShippingportTown or city | Zoning limits | Mar 4, 2025 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| Bell Acres BoroughTown or city | Zoning limits | Mar 13, 2023 | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| West Whiteland TownshipTown or city | Zoning limits | Not reported | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| Madison TownshipTown or city | Zoning limits | Not reported | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| Smith TownshipTown or city | Zoning limits | Not reported | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
| Columbia County | Zoning limits | Not reported | No end date | Record off site ↗ |
Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.