The Westbrook City Council unanimously approved a 180-day data center moratorium Monday night, taking the step as local leaders across Maine are facing uncertainty about the impacts of such developments in their communities. 

Westbrook Mayor David Morse said the Maine Legislature encouraged local municipalities to enact their own moratoriums after Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill to temporarily ban data center development statewide in April. 

The moratorium will give the city time to review its ordinances and research the potential effects of data centers on the city’s local energy grid and the environment. 

The moratorium took effect immediately after its adoption. During the moratorium, the planning board will review the city’s land use ordinance and report its recommendations back to the City Council. 

Ultimately, Morse said, the council will have to answer one question: “Is there a space in Westbrook for data centers?”

Currently, data centers are only permitted in the Rock Row Contract Zone, according to Westbrook’s land use ordinance. If the city decides to still permit data centers in that zone, it will need much better performance standards that consider the impacts on natural resources, said Jennie Franceschi, assistant city administrator. 

The nationwide expansion of data centers has raised questions about water and electrical energy uses, utility costs, noise pollution and other environmental impacts. 

Other Maine communities —including Gorham, Scarborough, Sanford, Bangor and Brunswick — are considering or have passed similar bans. 

In some of those communities, like Scarborough and Sanford, developers have already proposed building data centers. Westbrook hasn’t received any applications yet, Morse said, but the proposals in nearby communities have shown there is interest in building more data centers in Maine. 

“It just became very clear that we need to hit the brakes here,” Morse said.