Maine residents push back on underwater AI data center over concerns for fishing and water quality

Residents in Eastport, Maine, are pushing back against a tidal-powered plan to place AI data-center equipment underwater, saying the project could endanger the area's delicate coastal waters, according to WABI.

For many locals, the debate is about protecting the fishing economy and way of life that have long defined this Washington County community.

What's happening?

DeepGreen Western Passage SPV LLC, a Massachusetts-based company, is seeking a preliminary federal permit for a project idea involving underwater AI servers and tidal-power infrastructure near Kendall Head and Moose Island.

WABI reported that early planning documents envision a possible buildout of 170 turbines and 34 "hive pods" containing AI servers. Some Eastport residents argue the site is too sensitive for something that large, especially because it includes major fishing grounds and migration routes.

Eastport City Manager Brian Schuth stressed that the filing is still in its earliest stages and does not amount to approval to build. "It is not approved for construction," Schuth said, describing the permit stage as more of a placeholder while feasibility is studied.

Resident Deborah Gillespie said the area is "one of the most important fishing migration corridors in the whole Eastport region," while resident Suellen Hendrix said many locals were frustrated to learn about the proposal after the fact.

Why does it matter?

The dispute reflects tension playing out in communities across the country: how to balance new tech infrastructure with local ecosystems, existing industries, and public trust. In Eastport, those concerns are especially pronounced because fisheries are not just a business but a cultural anchor.

Opponents have questioned whether underwater servers and large tidal-energy equipment could alter water temperatures or disturb marine life in ways that would harm fish populations. Even if those impacts never materialize, residents argue the burden should be on developers to prove the waters will remain safe.

The issue also fits into the rapidly expanding conversation around AI and the electric grid. AI can help optimize clean-energy systems, improve forecasting, and make infrastructure more efficient, but the data centers powering those tools can require huge amounts of electricity and cooling.

That can translate into higher water use, more strain on local power systems, possible security and oversight concerns, and in some cases fears of rising energy bills if growth outpaces planning.

What's being done?

Project opponents have created a petition committee and submitted two ordinances in response. Schuth said both measures gathered enough signatures, and public hearings are expected in August.

If the city council adopts the ordinances, that would settle the matter. If not, the proposals could go before voters in November.

At the same time, not everyone in Eastport opposes the concept. Gillespie said some residents see the potential for tax revenue or tax relief if a project like this were ever to move forward.

DeepGreen Managing Member Louis Wolfson said the proposal is being misunderstood as an imminent construction plan. "A preliminary permit is just a request to let us spend our own private capital on multi-year environmental and engineering baseline studies," Wolfson said.

He added that the company's first phase would be capped at up to 5 megawatts and expanded only if "years of real-time environmental data prove the infrastructure is completely bio-neutral."

Wolfson also said he has begun outreach to Wabanaki Nation and Passamaquoddy leadership and wants any future data reviewed alongside local communities.

For residents such as Gillespie, however, the stakes remain deeply personal. "It's our identity," she said. Hendrix said, "We don't have to have this. No one asked us if we wanted to have this."

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