Vineland residents push back on data center plan over power costs

More than 100 Vineland residents spoke out as city leaders weighed a $6 million loan for a new data center, warning that a proposed 300-megawatt AI project could push up electric bills in a county where households already pay far more than the U.S. average. The council later approved the loan for DataOne, moving the project forward despite the objections.

Cumberland County residents spend about $338 a month on electricity, or roughly 25 cents per kilowatt-hour, about 23% above the national average, in EnergySage's July 19 update.

On March 31, AI data centers were driving a 20% spike in New Jersey electric bills and costing families billions, with families and small businesses subsidizing the growth through higher utility costs, according to New Jersey Policy Perspective. On April 9, New Jersey was pushing legislation that would require data centers to source clean power and share grid costs, according to Nixon Peabody.

On May 27, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the boom in data center construction had raised “real concerns” about electric rates, water quality and more, and called on lawmakers to make sure data centers create their own energy and “pay their own way.” She signed major energy legislation on July 7 that included a new rate-setting process for data centers, along with oversight of some transmission projects and lower utility profit margins.

President Donald Trump launched a Ratepayer Protection Pledge on March 4 around AI data center electricity costs, and by July 23, 23 Republican governors had signed on. A July 14 New York Times story put data centers at $6.3 billion in power costs across 13 states.