In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Donald Trump outlined a new plan to prevent massive data centers from driving up electricity bills in surrounding communities.

Trump said he had negotiated a “new ratepayer protection pledge” with large tech companies designed to minimize the negative impacts of energy-intensive artificial intelligence endeavors.

The data centers that fuel AI projects — facilities that house computers to store data and run online applications and services —  require significant amounts of power to operate. As they rise in prevalence, they could consume up to 12% of the country’s total electricity usage by 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Experts have warned that the skyrocketing demand for electricity could increase bills for other ratepayers.

In his address, Trump acknowledged that Americans are concerned about the projects “unfairly” driving up utility bills.

“We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs,” he told the crowd assembled at the U.S. Capitol. “They can build their own power plants as part of their factory so that no one’s prices will go up.”

But the details about Trump’s plan are scarce.

Asked for specifics Wednesday, a White House representative pointed to a statement from spokesperson Taylor Rogers, who spoke to Fox News Digital. Rogers told the outlet that representatives of some of the country’s biggest tech companies will visit the White House to sign pledges next week.

Those companies will include Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, xAI, Oracle and OpenAI, Fox reported.

“President Trump is committed to ensuring American AI dominance while simultaneously lowering costs for working families,” Rogers said.

HOW DOES MAINE FIT IN?

It’s not clear what the pledge could mean for Maine.

Developers are increasingly interested in building data centers in Maine. Some proposals, including in Wiscasset and Lewiston, have fizzled out or been shot down.

In Sanford, developers are eyeing more than 1,000 acres for an industrial campus that would include a large data center. That campus is already intended to produce its own power on-site, and it could be completely disconnected from the broader grid, the developers told state lawmakers last week.

Meanwhile, a project in the works at the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone is on track to be Maine’s first large-scale AI data center.

Developers there plan to use Canadian hydropower from New Brunswick. Trump’s announcement is unlikely to impact the project, said Herb Zein, vice chair of LiquidCool Solutions, one of the companies behind the center.

Zein said there is no need for on-site generation since there is already more than enough electrical capacity available from a nearby substation.

“We don’t need new energy, because the energy is already there,” Zein said on a phone call Wednesday morning.

LIMITED IMPACT SO FAR

Compared to other parts of the country, New England’s electrical grid has seen relatively little stress from new data centers, said Mary Cate Colapietro, a spokesperson for ISO New England, which oversees the region’s transmission grid.

There are a handful of smaller data centers cropping up, but most large-scale data centers are housed in other parts of the country, she said.

Vamsi Chadalavada, chief executive of ISO-NE, said increased electrification — including things like heat pumps and electric vehicles — is the primary driver of energy demand in the region.

“Because New England has not seen significant data center development, to date, that has not been a driving factor of wholesale electricity costs in the region,” Chadalavada told several New England senators in a letter this month.

Philip L. Bartlett II, chair of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, said large data centers providing their own power could have “real value” for ratepayers, generally speaking. But he said it would be difficult to predict the impact of Trump’s plan on Maine without more details, including whether it would include any enforcement mechanisms.

“What we still need to understand is who’s signing this pledge and what are they committing to,” Bartlett said on a phone call Wednesday afternoon. “It sounds like it’s potentially a voluntary commitment by these companies.”

Bartlett noted that there are “all kinds of different flavors” of data center development. In some cases, a tech company will plan and build a site for its own use; in other cases, though, a developer might build a center before seeking out a customer to lease the space.

“We need to get a good understanding of which types of data centers are being affected by the president’s announcement,” Bartlett said.

STATE LAWMAKERS CONSIDERING PAUSE

Trump’s announcement came as state lawmakers are mulling a potential pause on approvals for new data centers with loads greater than or equal to 20 megawatts.

LD 307 — currently under review by the Maine Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee — would prohibit any new permits or approvals until July 2028, according to the latest language. The bill’s restrictions would not apply to projects that have been approved by the time of its passage.

The bill would also create a “Data Center Coordination Council” to study the potential impact of new construction in Maine. The council would also issue guidance on how regulators and local officials should approach new projects.