Tucson Rejects Amazon's Project Blue Data Center Campus

The Tucson city council voted unanimously to reject Amazon's planned Project Blue AI data center campus. Mayor Regina Romero said that the city would also look to place limits on future data centers "to protect Tucson from this industry that is already here in Arizona."

Project Blue is a 290-acre site that was set to initially host three data center buildings. Reports suggested that up to 10 buildings totaling two million sq ft (185,805 sqm) and 600MW were ultimately planned. The data center has been under discussion by local officials since at least 2023, according to emails between county administrators and real estate investment firm Diamond Ventures. 

Local opposition group No Desert Data Center was formed to mobilize residents against the project over its water use and potential impact on the area. "The rejection of Project Blue by Tucson City Council is a huge victory for our desert community and would not have happened without thousands of Tucsonans coming out to vehemently oppose it," the group said in a statement.

"We thank the Mayor and Council for standing strong and not folding to Beale's intimidation tactics and greenwashing propaganda. Tucson made the right decision to halt Amazon's harmful data center in its tracks and protect our water, air, and a liveable climate. We will remain vigilant because we know big corporations like Amazon, Beale, and TEP have a hard time taking no for an answer, and we are committed to stopping any data center they try to force on us within our watershed."