Karishma Manzur Calls for Immediate Pause on Hyper-scale AI Data Centers After Bow Project Report

CONCORD, NH — U.S. Senate candidate Karishma Manzur today called for an immediate pause on the construction of hyper-scale artificial intelligence data centers in New Hampshire and across the country, following reports that a data center project of up to 350 megawatts is being explored for the site of the former Merrimack Station coal plant in Bow.

Federal filings show Eversource Energy was asked by Granite Shore Power, the site's owner, to study connecting the project to the grid, a facility that would qualify as "hyperscale" and could require enough electricity to power hundreds of thousands of homes.

"We need an immediate pause of artificial intelligence technology and the building of hyperscale AI data centers," Manzur said. "Powerful corporations are lobbying Congress for their benefit, not for the benefit of the American people."

Manzur tied the fight against AI data center expansion to the broader climate emergency, noting that new construction is accelerating even as the planet suffers escalating disasters. "We are witnessing wildfires in Washington, heatwaves in Europe, and glacier collapse in Nepal causing massive death and destruction," she said. "Yet instead of changing course to protect our planet, more hyper-scale AI data centers are being built for mass surveillance and warfare."

Manzur pointed to the Bow proposal, along with an earlier data center proposal in Nottingham that was withdrawn after local backlash, as warning signs for communities across the state. "Granite Staters will not benefit, but we will pay the costs," she said. "I am proud to stand with Granite Staters to stop the greed and corruption."

Manzur's campaign has made corporate accountability and environmental protection central pillars of her platform, and she has pledged to oppose federal subsidies, tax breaks, and permitting shortcuts for hyper-scale AI infrastructure that prioritizes corporate and military interests over local communities.