39 data centers and projects on our map in Illinois, including 2 projects we track in detail. Each one links to its source. Below: where they are by county, the projects in the news, and the latest reporting from both sides.
See Illinois on the map. Existing facilities come from OpenStreetMap, a community-maintained public map that is incomplete; proposed, under construction and blocked projects are tracked one by one from news, filings and official records.
Blocked, paused or withdrawn Eight month moratorium on data center applications in unincorporated areas approved September 2026
Waukegan, Lake County
The Lake County Board north of Chicago approved a pause on data center applications in unincorporated areas running to May 11, 2027. The county said the time is needed to study the land use and draft development restrictions before any application arrives.
Issues raised: zoning, power, water
Proposed Village of Mahomet ended annexation talks October 5, 2026 after resident pushback; developer says it will not pursue village annexation but may continue under Champaign County framework
Mahomet, Champaign · Operator: Clean Cloud Energy
Clean Cloud Energy had pursued annexation into Mahomet for a hyperscale data center campus on a roughly 340-acre rural site. After a packed community meeting and about 10 months of talks under NDAs, village officials ended discussions on October 5, 2026 citing public feedback.
Issues raised: opposition, transparency, water, power, character
A Sangamon County circuit court held an October 9 hearing on the county board's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by neighbors against the approval of a hyperscale data center west of Thayer and Clark Roads, across from a recently completed solar farm. The judge is expected to rule on whether the case proceeds.
Check it: A hearing on a motion to dismiss is not the same as a ruling; wait for the judge's written decision, and note that dismissal does not approve or disapprove the data center on its merits.
Village of Mahomet officials said they ended annexation discussions with Clean Cloud Energy for a proposed data center campus after about a week of public pushback. The developer said it will not seek village annexation but is still evaluating the project under Champaign County rules.
Check it: The village stepped back, but the developer has not canceled the project; the county path is separate.
Mahomet residents held a community meeting on October 3 about Clean Cloud Energy's Rising Edge proposal, roughly 340 acres in unincorporated Mahomet Township within the village's extraterritorial jurisdiction. Residents raised concerns about the Mahomet Aquifer, cooling water, noise and electricity price impacts; the village board of trustees is scheduled to meet on October 13.
Check it: No vote has been taken; aquifer impact claims should be checked against a hydrology study before being treated as settled.
The Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois Project for Middle Class Renewal released a report modeling $57 billion in planned data center investment through 2035. They projected 121,000 total jobs, of which 2,800 are direct permanent positions, and estimated the facilities would push the average household's monthly electric bill up about $12. The authors also projected roughly $300 million per year in local property taxes once the sites are operational.
Check it: ILEPI is a union aligned research group. The 121,000 figure is modeled across the whole economy, not direct hires. The $12 monthly bill estimate is also modeled.
Gov. JB Pritzker said he will not impose a data center moratorium on his own and pressed lawmakers to pass the POWER Act during the November 17-19 and December 1-3 veto session. The bill would require sustainable water use, transparent reporting and consumer cost protections; a spring version failed to pass in June.
Check it: The POWER Act has not passed either chamber; Pritzker has also paused new state data center tax incentives starting July 1.
The Village of Mahomet said Clean Cloud Energy has approached it about a data-center campus, described in draft documents as Rising Edge on roughly 340 acres of farmland in unincorporated Mahomet Township. A draft agreement disclosed under FOIA caps developer contributions at 17.35 million dollars, 10 million of which is tied to a separate payment-in-lieu-of-taxes deal.
Check it: The developer and village both call the talks preliminary and no application has been filed. Confirm the parcel size, whether the Mahomet Aquifer is directly implicated, and whether the Village Board formally considers the draft.
Students for Environmental Concerns held a rally at the University of Illinois on Friday September 27, joined by Students for Socialism, Prairie Rivers Network and Resist AI Data Centers Champaign County, calling for stricter energy and environmental rules on any future county projects. The Champaign County Board enacted a construction moratorium earlier this year while a task force drafts an ordinance.
Check it: This is a student and advocacy rally, not a government vote, and the county's moratorium is already in place while regulations are drafted.
Governor JB Pritzker said he expects the legislature to take up data-center regulation during the Nov. 17-19 and Dec. 1-3 veto session, citing concern that power and water bills not rise for residents to serve new load. Advocates want the POWER Act, which includes a Bring Your Own New Clean Capacity and Energy provision, to reach the floor.
Check it: A stated governor priority is not a bill on the floor. Check whether the POWER Act is actually scheduled for a vote and what its final scope is.
For the arguments behind these fights, see the case for data centers, the case against, and the questions people ask, each answered from both sides.
Searches every argument, question, number, source, report, update and correction on this site. Your query stays in your browser.
Before you download
The handbook is free and always will be. It takes no money from data center operators, utilities or industry groups, which is exactly why you can trust what is in it. If it is worth a dollar, now is the easy moment.
No thanks, just download itOne tap through Stripe. Your download starts either way.
Anything you wish this site had, or anything that was missing or wrong? One line is plenty, it comes straight to a person, and it is what the next version gets built from.
Nobody pays for this but readers. Chip in $1 if it was worth it.