By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(Oct. 22, 2026) Town of Berlin officials are exploring what a moratorium on data center applications could look like as the town considers how to evaluate a center’s impact on local infrastructure, public safety and the environment.

At a meeting Tuesday night, Berlin Council Vice President Jack Orris outlined what a moratorium on data centers of one year or longer would entail.

Orris said that while the facilities may create jobs, provide new digital infrastructure, and offer additional tax revenue, drawbacks would include noise pollution, increased electricity demand, a surge in water requirements, and issues related to land use, traffic, and emergency-response needs.

He said a moratorium would give Berlin staff time to create regulations to respond to these concerns if a developer approaches the town with a proposal for a data center within municipal limits.

Orris raised the idea to his colleagues in August. He was directed to return with more information to help guide the town’s consideration of a potential data center ban.

Orris said the nature of data center operations require officials to consider the electricity demands, whether existing infrastructure could accommodate the load, what additional utility improvements might be necessary, and how a project could affect water supplies, noise levels, surrounding properties, and emergency services.

Orris’ presentation says a moratorium would set a defined period for town staff to gather utility, water, public safety, and financial information. Officials could also develop zoning and development standards, solicit public comment and decide whether to adopt, modify, or reject the drafted framework.

Orris suggested that any future ordinance could clearly define a data center and require developers to report anticipated electricity demand, generator use, and other operational details. Potential requirements could include pathways to address site-plan review, utility planning, and conditions to protect the town.

Orris highlighted electricity and water demand as important considerations for a small town like Berlin.

A facility’s power requirements could call for significant utility upgrades, including new distribution or transmission lines and substations.

Town officials also would need to consider what resources might be necessary during an emergency.

Orris cited a hypothetical fire requiring water at 3,000 gallons per minute for four hours, totaling 720,000 gallons.

Council member Shaneka Nichols said the presentation helped illustrate the impacts of data center development.

“I’m glad you shared this with not just us but the public,” Nichols said. “…Some people think it’s just a box … but we [have to] look at what this means for a community … what this could mean for our infrastructure, when we already have major infrastructure concerns.”

She added that the town should prepare for such proposals and said she would prefer a moratorium longer than 12 months, arguing that more time is needed for comprehensive research and planning.

Orris said his presentation should serve as a starting point for officials to review as the discussion continues.

Berlin officials previously deliberated a potential moratorium after Worcester County enacted a 12-month pause on data center applications that took effect in July.

Berlin officials have also acknowledged that the town has received interest in data center projects in the past, although neither of the two previously discussed projects materialized.

The council did not indicate whether it supported a moratorium.