BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 13, 2026
A data center planned at the former paper mill in Jay may fall victim to a bill being considered in the Maine Legislature even before work on it begins in July. The project’s owner, JGT2 Redevelopment, has an agreement with a national data center company, Sentinel Data Centers, to occupy a total of 1 million square feet on two floors of the former paper mill long owned by International Paper, which was a regional powerhouse employing more than a thousand people before closing in 2023. The planned revamp of the mill has not been previously reported. But a recent bill approved by the Legislature’s energy committee would limit new data centers in the state for about a year. If it passes, the moratorium would effectively kill the project, said Tony McDonald, who is behind the data center project.