Google Announces Data Center in Pine Island

Pine Island, MN (KROC-AM News) - Big Tech is coming to southeastern Minnesota in a big way.

Google today announced that Pine Island will be the future home of a Google data center. A news release says the project is a collaboration with the City of Pine Island and Xcel Energy.

Contribution to Energy Grid

According to the news release, Xcel Energy will supply the electrical power needs of the facility, while Google will pay all costs associated with the electrical service. The release goes on to state that, “in order to accelerate clean energy deployment without shifting costs to local customers, Google and Xcel Energy designed a new contract structure in Minnesota” called the Clean Energy Accelerator Charge.

Solar, Wind, and Batteries

Under the agreement, Xcel will add 1.4 gigawatts of wind power generation capacity, 200 megawatts of solar power generation, along with 300 megawatts of iron-air battery storage. In addition, Google says it will provide a $50 million investment for Xcel’s Capacity Connect Program, which involves a “distributed network of smaller batteries” to improve “grid resilience.”

Xcel Energy describes the planned iron-air battery system as the largest battery by gigawatt-hour energy capacity in the world. A news release from the utility says the 100-hour battery system “will store energy during periods of high production and low demand and dispatch it to the grid during times of high demand.”

The electrical service agreement between Google and Xcel is subject to review and approval by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.

$20 Million Infrastructure Investment

A news release issued today by the City of Pine Island says the developer of the project and Google will be investing more than $20 million for infrastructure upgrades needed for the project on a 480 acre technology park that will be located on the north edge of the city.

“Google’s investment in Pine Island will be transformational for our city and reflects confidence in our community, and our future,” said Mayor David Friese. “During my tenure as Mayor, the Council has worked diligently to attract businesses, grow the tax base, and create high quality jobs. Through these thoughtful actions, Pine Island has positioned itself for continued growth as a great place to live and work and moving forward for a strong future.”

Google Funding For Pine Island Schools

Pine Island officials say Google will also provide $25 million to create the "Panther Program" for the Pine Island Public Schools. The program will focus on STEM education initiatives.

Local Opposition

The project has garnered significant opposition from Pine Island area residents, who've expressed concerns about the impact of a large data center operation on electric utility costs as well as potential environmental issues involving water usage.

Ryan Companies is the developer of the project and has indicated construction is expected to begin before the end of the year.

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