Costa Rican authorities investigate the backing and governance structure of proposed AI datacenter facilities planned for development in the country.

Two proposed artificial intelligence data centers in Costa Rica—one in Limón and one in Bagaces—would require electricity and water at scales the country's current grid and municipal systems do not contemplate. Yet neither project has publicly identified its investors or backers.

The larger proposal is the Quantum AI Free Zone Campus, promoted by Quantum Development Inc. on approximately 42 hectares in Limón's central canton. The company envisions seven data center buildings, a dedicated 230-kilovolt substation, and up to 200 megawatts of computing capacity for AI training and high-performance computing, built in three phases with full power delivery targeted for late 2027. The campus would draw primarily from the national grid, with on-site thermal generators as backup.

The second is the Palo Negro AI & HPC Campus in Bagaces, Guanacaste, promoted by COSFIN Energía S.A. and announced in November 2025. It proposes 120 megawatts of renewable generation—80 MW of solar and 40 MW of wind—backed by battery storage, using closed-loop cooling that avoids water evaporation. The project remains at the prefeasibility stage.

The scale is striking against national figures. Esteban Chanto Sánchez, who leads the information and communication technology chair at the State Distance University (UNED), estimated that the Limón campus's 200 MW running at 90% capacity with typical cooling and power overhead would consume about 1,892 gigawatt hours annually—roughly 14.6% of Costa Rica's 2025 electricity demand. UNED stressed the figure illustrates scale rather than forecasts actual consumption.

Palo Negro has not published a consumption forecast, but a 120 MW campus operating continuously would use roughly 1,050 gigawatt hours yearly, about 8% of national demand. Together, the two projects could require nearly a quarter of Costa Rica's entire current electricity consumption—equivalent to the per-capita electricity use of more than one million Costa Ricans. The two host cantons have approximately 118,000 residents between them.

Palo Negro's renewable promise has a fundamental gap: solar and wind do not generate around the clock, but AI servers operate continuously. At typical Guanacaste output levels, 120 MW of such plants would generate well under half the campus's needs. Promoters have asked the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) whether it could supply the shortfall, according to Bagaces Mayor Alonso González.

This matters because the grid faces scrutiny. Earlier this month, the Comptroller General's Office warned that ICE's 2024-2034 transmission expansion plan was built on a low-demand scenario projecting 2% annual growth. The Competitiveness Promotion Council, a business-backed policy group, projects a base case of 2.8% and says growth could exceed 3.5% in scenarios including AI and data center expansion.

The same audit found transmission projects running up to 6.6 years behind schedule, with the Nicoya Peninsula reinforcement in Guanacaste among the worst. Final grid connection requests take an average of 324 days—nearly 11 months—to resolve. The following day, ICE's board dissolved the planning and sustainability directorate of its electricity business, transferring its duties to the transmission division. ICE maintains the system is operating normally, reported transmission availability above 99.7% in 2025, and says there is no risk of shortage.

Water may pose a more immediate local concern. Quantum's materials cite a need for about 350 liters per second of municipal water, supplemented by wells—roughly 30 million liters daily, enough to serve approximately 150,000 people at typical household consumption. The host canton has around 92,500 residents and already struggles to supply drinking water.

Former Education Minister Leonardo Garnier has noted that the figure approaches the entire intake of the Bananito River, one of Limón's main sources. Chanto cautioned that Quantum's number reflects advertised availability rather than confirmed consumption, which will depend on the cooling technology chosen.

In Bagaces, where arsenic contamination and water deliveries by tanker truck remain recent memories, residents protested the data center proposal outside the municipal building. The Costa Rican Federation for Environmental Conservation (FECON) reports there is no public information on Palo Negro's water needs or its source. Mayor González says no project documents have been formally submitted to the municipality.

Basic questions about project ownership remain unanswered. Quantum Development Inc. held free zone status from December 2018 until the Foreign Trade Ministry revoked it in May 2026, though the project website still advertises free zone tax benefits.

Environmental clearance from the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (SETENA), first issued in 2017 and reiterated in later resolutions, covers only groundwork such as streets, sidewalks, and storm drainage—not buildings. Environmental records flag wetlands, forest cover, and a nearby aquifer on the Limón site, and the National Emergency Commission lists part of the property within flood-prone areas.

The Limón municipality announced on social media that the project had environmental clearance, but SETENA's public records show no data center filing under the company's name or corporate ID. Quantum describes its intended partners as hyperscale operators, infrastructure funds, and strategic partners, indicating financing is still being sought. No shareholders or executives have been publicly named, and the company has not responded to questions from local media.

COSFIN Energía has a public spokesman, Stellio Bertossi, but has not disclosed its shareholders or financial partners. Costa Rica's registry of beneficial owners is not open to the public, so neither company's ultimate owners can be confirmed through public records.

Limón Mayor Ana Matarrita McCalla says the Quantum project remains in the community introduction stage and the municipality will enforce environmental law. Supporters argue AI infrastructure could bring investment and skilled jobs to regions that badly need them.

But until the backers, actual power and water requirements, and required permits are disclosed, residents of both areas are asked to evaluate projects whose owners they cannot identify.