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A proposal has been put forward to construct an underwater data center in the Bay of Fundy near Maine's coastline, a critical habitat for endangered North Atlantic right whales. </p>
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<div class="layout_template_wrapper">- Although there is an active proposal to place an underwater data center in the Bay of Fundy close to Maine, the responsible firm, DeepGreen Western Passage SPV, has not yet confirmed the project’s viability.
- The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the company’s preliminary permit application, granting them priority status for potential development in the designated zone over the next four years. However, this permit does not authorize construction or on-water research.
- Should the facility be built, environmental impacts on endangered whales are a legitimate concern, as underwater noise and maritime traffic are known threats to marine life. Still, the specific ecological footprint of submerged data centers remains largely unquantified due to the novelty of the technology.
- Louis Wolfson, the project’s developer representing DeepGreen, verified that no concrete construction blueprints currently exist. Moving forward, the company must secure additional approvals from multiple state and federal bodies to perform comprehensive environmental and technical assessments, which have not yet been initiated.
- The initiative has drawn fierce pushback from local conservationists, the municipality of Eastport situated along the bay, and the Passamaquoddy Tribe, whose traditional lands encompass the proposed site. It remains uncertain whether these groups possess the legal authority to halt the venture entirely.
Rumors regarding a planned underwater data facility off the coast of Maine began spreading across social media platforms in the autumn of 2026.
Discussions shared on Facebook, YouTube (archived), and Reddit warned that building the facility could endanger vulnerable North Atlantic right whales that inhabit the Bay of Fundy, located near the Maine city of Eastport.
Following a circulating Change.org petition titled “Stop the Underwater Data Center Planned in Maine’s Right Whale Waters,” an inquiring reader asked for verification of these claims.
Petition · Stop the Underwater Data Center Planned in Maine’s Right Whale Waters
by u/forchewbap in whales
Records confirm that a business named DeepGreen Western Passage SPV applied for a preliminary permit through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to investigate the feasibility of establishing a subsea data facility in the Bay of Fundy. Because these waters serve as a habitat for endangered North Atlantic right whales, environmental concerns are prominent. Despite strong objections from the Eastport city council and the Passamaquoddy Tribe—whose ancestral territory covers the region—FERC granted the permit request in August.
Consequently, the core claim has been evaluated as
It is important to emphasize, though, that this preliminary authorization does not give DeepGreen the green light to begin building, nor are there immediate plans for construction. Instead, the document secures the company’s “priority to pursue development of this project at this location for up to four years.”
Project developer Louis Wolfson noted via email that conducting active maritime testing requires detailed study proposals and authorization from several state and federal bodies, such as FERC, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The municipality of Eastport has pointed out that advancing the project will necessitate substantial government licenses and permits, steps that have not yet been initiated as of this writing.
Further details are being sought from FERC regarding the regulatory procedure, and updates will be provided if new information emerges.
What the official documentation shows
The filing paperwork submitted by DeepGreen for the preliminary permit is accessible publicly on the FERC eLibrary portal under docket identifier “P-15424.”
An official notice issued August 19 outlines the commission’s approval:
Dear Mr. Wolfson:
Your preliminary permit application for the DeepGreen Western Passage Subsea-Compute & Infrastructure Hub Project has been accepted by the Commission for filing as of February 11, 2026.
FERC’s public notification highlights the limited scope of the permit, clarifying that it confers no construction rights or automatic access to the waters (emphasis added):
On February 11, 2026, and supplemented and amended on June 8, 2026 and July 30, 2026, DeepGreen Western Passage SPV LLC, filed an application for a preliminary permit, pursuant to section 4(f) of the Federal Power Act (FPA), proposing to study the feasibility of the DeepGreen Western Passage Subsea-Compute & Infrastructure Hub Project No. 15424-000 (project), to be located in the Western Passage of the Bay of Fundy in the North Atlantic Ocean near the Town of Eastport, Washington County, Maine. The sole purpose of a preliminary permit, if issued, is to grant the permit holder priority to file a license application during the permit term. A preliminary permit does not authorize the permit holder to perform any land-disturbing activities or otherwise enter upon lands or waters owned by others without the owners’ express permission.
Wolfson described the permit as a way to reserve a place in line, allowing private funds to be used for feasibility assessments “without a competitor jumping your spot.” He added that standard desktop research does not require specialized authorization.
Although the initial paperwork outlines preliminary hardware specifications—such as deploying up to 50 tidal turbines to generate a peak capacity of 15 megawatts—Wolfson stressed that concrete building blueprints do not yet exist.
The firm has also stated that work conducted under the permit “will remain strictly independent, non-invasive, and focused purely on information gathering, data synthesis, and scientific modeling to provide transparent details to the wider local community” (Page 2).
An August 3 bulletin published by the city of Eastport reiterates that construction cannot move forward without extensive subsequent reviews:
In order to proceed to construction, DeepGreen would need to apply for a license. This would be a much more involved, much more expensive process that the City will need to be prepared for, but which is not yet underway.
The City has received no applications for building permits, earthmoving permits or anything else that would be required to start any sort of construction. The City Council has already expressed its dislike of the project to DeepGreen by a unanimous vote.
Whether DeepGreen eventually seeks a construction license, Wolfson explained, depends entirely on whether the technology proves economically viable, environmentally sound, and technically possible.
Uncertain ecological consequences for marine life
Opposition group Center for Biological Diversity submitted a motion on September 24 to intervene against the permit process. The organization argued that even initial exploratory surveys “may increase vessel traffic and noise pollution,” potentially disrupting prey availability, elevating contaminant levels, and stressing local populations of fin whales, right whales, and other marine species.
Both fin whales and North Atlantic right whales maintain protected status under the Endangered Species Act. Recent estimates from NOAA place the population of North Atlantic fin whales at approximately 6,800 individuals as of 2023. Meanwhile, a 2026 NOAA assessment indicates that only about 380 North Atlantic right whales survive today.
Definitive impacts on the whale population cannot be determined until targeted environmental studies take place. Furthermore, empirical data regarding subsea data infrastructure is sparse due to the novelty of the field, though marine experts widely agree that underwater noise and industrial vibrations can negatively impact cetaceans.
Acknowledging that the worries raised by local residents and conservationists are “completely valid,” Wolfson noted that advocates of underwater facilities
“Marine sound, fisheries, and local ecology are the bottom line. We’re currently vetting hardware partners and looking at their raw performance data. If the equipment can’t run safely within federal acoustic and environmental limits, it will never get licensed or deployed,” Wolfson stated.
Complex regulatory and jurisdictional hurdles
While community resistance is fierce, the legal capacity of local entities to block the venture independently remains ambiguous.
Although the designated site lies within U.S. territory, members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe residing on both sides of the United States-Canada border have voiced concerns that environmental disruptions would not respect national boundaries, introducing cross-border diplomatic considerations.
The proposed site for the DeepGreen subsea facility within the Bay of Fundy, as indicated in regulatory documents submitted to FERC. (DeepGreen Western Passage SPV/FERC)
The Passamaquoddy Tribe, a federally recognized tribal nation in the U.S., has already made it clear that they have “no interest” in partnering with DeepGreen.
While Wolfson informed CBC that his dedication to honoring tribal sovereignty is absolute, Maine State Legislator and tribal representative Aaron Dana remains skeptical.
“What they’re doing is that they’re only checking a box, saying that they consulted with the tribal nations here in the state of Maine,” Dana remarked to CBC. During an August address before the Eastport City Council, he cautioned against “gambling with an ecosystem that cannot be replaced” (at 2:28).
DeepGreen’s documentation notes that at least four additional tribal groups maintain historical and cultural ties to the surrounding waters and project boundaries.
Furthermore, the city of Eastport submitted an intervention motion on September 29 opposing the preliminary permit. Pointing out that the data center would be situated immediately adjacent to the municipality, the filing highlights that Eastport’s council previously passed a unanimous citizen initiative banning large-scale and subsea data centers within local jurisdiction.
However, a subsequent citizen-led initiative attempting to block the project was dismissed following legal counsel indicating it would likely prove unenforceable. That proposed measure would have mandated voter approval for industrial and commercial developments exceeding specific size thresholds, including marine installations.