Avista pauses data center project

Avista, an energy company, has announced a pause in negotiations for providing energy service to a new 500MW data center developer. This decision comes after significant community interest and concerns regarding a previously announced Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the developer. Heather Rosentrater, Avista President and CEO, stated that the feedback from customers, community members, and local leaders has demonstrated a need for a broader coordinated planning effort. Avista, a regulated utility, is committed to collaborating with local leaders, regulators, and community members to inform how large data center requests will be considered moving forward, ensuring alignment with regional priorities. The company emphasizes that existing customers will not bear the costs of serving new large customers, system reliability is non-negotiable, regulatory approval is required, and growth must be responsible, delivering net benefits for its customers. The project involves multiple stakeholders beyond Avista, including developers, regional infrastructure partners, regulators, and local communities.