Washington (state)
Pacific Northwest US state; reported 46 measles cases in the 2026 national outbreak.
Seattle, Washington's largest city, froze new data-centre loads for a year after developers asked its public utility for 369 MW across five facilities. Council members introduced the moratorium on 30 April 2026 and the council made it binding, 9 to 0, in June.
Last refreshed: 18 October 2026
Why does Washington state have 46 measles cases in the 2026 US outbreak?
Timeline for Washington (state)
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Washington is a Pacific Northwest US state bordering Canada to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Olympia is its capital and Seattle its largest city. The Cascade Range divides the state, with temperate rainforest on the wetter western side and drier agricultural country to the east.
Seattle City Light, the municipal utility, sits at the centre of the state's data-centre politics. Its interconnection queue drew 369 MW of requests in spring 2026, and the city's year-long freeze on large new loads followed.
Washington also reported 46 confirmed measles cases in the 2026 US outbreak. The National count reached 2,318 by 24 July, passing the 2025 full-year record of 2,289, with no deaths recorded in 2026. Washington's total sat well below the leading states, Utah among them.
Its largest city shuts the door
Four developers asked Seattle City Light, the city's publicly owned utility, for 369 MW to run five facilities, roughly a tenth of the utility's peak load. Council members answered on 30 April 2026 with a 365-day emergency moratorium, and at least two developers withdrew before the vote.
The council enacted the freeze 9 to 0 on 9 and 10 June, covering any new load above 20 MVA while letting existing data centres expand. Sabey Data Centers had already pulled a 68 MW request for its Tukwila campus, and Equinix and Prologis stayed in the queue with 249 MW across three facilities. For Washington, the freeze closes the main power route into its biggest metro for a year, while City Light drafts rate changes and Seattle Public Utilities assesses water use by 30 October.
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 18 October 2026. Editorial standards.