Over the last several years, data centers have rapidly expanded across the lower 48. Within this short time, these facilities have had a dramatic impact on the health and well-being of millions of Americans. Data centers have quickly become a flashpoint as communities push back against unchecked expansion and demand a greater voice in decisions that affect their energy systems, natural resources, and local economies. This growing tension between corporate interests and community priorities is fueling advocacy efforts nationwide, and Alaska is now becoming part of that conversation.

Some elected leaders in Alaska have been proactively working to attract data centers. Governor Dunleavy has actively courted Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft, while the Mat-Su Borough Assembly hired a private company to find a developer to build a local data center or other high-tech facility. Senator Sullivan has also been proactive in petitioning data centers to build on Air Force and joint base installations in Alaska, circumventing public input. Solicitations for these proposals were due by May 29.

The possibility of large-scale data centers finding their way to Alaska has felt increasingly imminent these last few weeks after a preliminary decision by the state to provide STAK Energy land to build a massive development on the North Slope. According to the report, the data center and additional facilities would span one square mile, and could consume “more than twice as much of the fuel as urban Alaska consumes for electrical generation and home and commercial heating.”

There are a number of risks we can and should anticipate if this project moves forward. For example, the Arctic is warming rapidly — nearly 4 times faster than anywhere else on earth. Recent studies have shown that data center operations generate massive amounts of excess heat, so much so that they form their own “heat islands.” These heat islands can warm the surrounding area by up to 16 degrees Fahrenheit. Said warming impacts are not isolated in the immediate vicinity, but can be felt upwards of 6.2 miles away from the heat source. Inviting a massive new heat source into an ecosystem facing melting permafrost and rapidly changing climate is an enormous risk that Alaskans cannot afford.

In order to build on the North Slope’s permafrost, STAK Energy would be tasked with raising the ground 5-7 feet off the tundra with gravel. To accomplish this, 7 million cubic yards worth of gravel would need to be trucked to the site. Given that we have not seen a data center this scale built in Alaska before, it’s unclear how this mitigation plan will work out, and what environmental changes the area would be left facing.

Right now, Alaskans have few protections against the potential environmental, health, and economic impacts of data centers. During the last legislative session, SB 250, a bill that would have provided protections for ratepayers and environmental safeguards, successfully passed the Senate but failed to make it to the House floor for a vote before the session ended.

One key protection in SB 250 was a vehicle for addressing decommissioning, or what would happen if the data center were to cease operations. Decommissioning includes dismantling and removing equipment safely to ensure regulatory compliance and environmental responsibility. It remains unclear if STAK Energy has a decommissioning plan they would be liable for if they were to leave before a lease expired.

Between now and the next legislative session, it is essential that Alaskans make their voices heard through formal and informal channels in lieu of explicit state guardrails. Submit your comment on the proposed North Slope data center by June 16th to the Division of Oil and Gas Permitting Section.

Submit your own comment today and share your concerns! >

The Alaska Center is closely following the potential development of data centers in Alaska. To learn more and get involved, read our whitepaper, “Data Centers on Our Terms” and sign up to take action with us here.