US data center company Sentinel Data Centers has abandoned its plans to build a facility in Maine. According to the Sun Journal, the firm has withdrawn from its proposed development at a former paper mill in Jay, a town located in Franklin County. – iStock/Getty Images. JGT2 Redevelopment, which had intended to partner with Sentinel on the $550 million project, has told Jay officials that Sentinel no longer plans to proceed.
“JGT2 is in talks with other interested parties, but the data center project is currently on hold,” Jay officials announced on Facebook this week. The future plans have not been finalized yet. The Androscoggin Mill opened in 1965 for International Paper.
Once one of Maine’s largest employers, the facility closed in 2013 after an explosion caused major damage to its equipment. Sentinel planned to convert the building into approximately 1 million square feet (92,905 sqm) of colocation data center space across two floors. The project had received strong support from local officials and was scheduled to begin construction in the summer.
Founded in 2001, Sentinel Data Centers specializes in developing build-to-suit data centers nationwide and has completed more than 3 million square feet of data center space. Sentinel’s website highlights ongoing projects in Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, and Washington.
JGT2 acquired the mill site in December 2023 and has since razed several buildings to ready the area for redevelopment. In April, Maine Governor Janet Mills vetoed legislation that would have introduced the nation’s first statewide ban on data centers; the state house subsequently fell short of the votes needed to override her decision.
DCD examined the Maine moratorium in depth in our most recent magazine issue. Access it for free here. Thanks for your North American news subscription.
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