Denver taps team to shape data center future
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Denver has assembled a team to decide if and how the city should make room for more power-hungry data centers.
Why it matters: The move comes amid the city's moratorium on new data center development through at least May 2027, as pushback grows across Colorado.
Driving the news: Mayor Mike Johnston and City Council members named 26 people on Wednesday to the city's new Data Center Working Group, selected from more than 250 applicants.
- The group includes residents, union members, academics and environmental advocates, plus representatives from Xcel Energy, Denver Water and the data center industry.
- Its first meeting is Friday, kicking off several months to develop policy recommendations.
- City leaders say they could extend the moratorium if the group needs more time.
What they're saying: "It will be Denver — not corporations — that decide if and how data centers may operate in our city," Johnston said Wednesday.
The big picture: Denver's joining communities across Colorado that are writing their own rules after state lawmakers failed to agree on a statewide approach this year.
- Brighton this week became the latest city to pause development.
- In late September, Colorado Springs leaders delayed a decision on a proposed data center for seven months while the city conducts more studies and develops guidelines.
The intrigue: Denver hasn't ruled out going further than regulation.
- Several council members floated an outright ban on new data centers when they approved the moratorium in May. Others suggested restricting massive "hyperscale" facilities or requiring less water-intensive cooling systems.
- And Johnston's latest statement — particularly his use of "if" — leaves open the possibility that some data centers may not have a place in Denver at all.
What we're watching: Where the city draws the line — and what companies will have to offer in exchange for the enormous amounts of power, water and infrastructure their projects can demand.