A free SpecWindow project list. Records checked Oct 26, 2026; they can change after that date.

Minnesota data center projects in government records, 2026

3 data center projects found in City of Hermantown, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and Environmental Quality Board (EQB Monitor) records dated April 26 to October 26, 2026. 2 of them state equipment counts: backup generators, chillers and transformers modeled per building in Hermantown, and four new substations in Pine Island. Every project links to its government record.

MPCA air permit notices and its permit tracker, PUC eDockets filings, and the Monticello and Inver Grove Heights city pages could not be read automatically when we checked, so draft generator permits and some local approvals are missing; this is a sample, not a complete list.

Google data center campus, SW corner of Midway Road and Morris Thomas Road (Hermantown Industrial AUAR area)

Hermantown, St. Louis County, Minnesota

Record: Special use permit, Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation of approval, Oct 20, 2026, on the City of Hermantown project page; Final AUAR adopted by the City Council Oct 5, 2026. hermantownmn.com
Applicant as named: Harmony Group, LLC on the special use permit application; the city names Google as the applicant, and the PUC data centers page lists Harmony Group, LLC as a subsidiary of Alphabet/Google.
Stage: Permit pending. Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the special use permit on Oct 20, 2026, for City Council consideration; Final AUAR adopted Oct 5, 2026. An electric service agreement with Minnesota Power is before the PUC in docket 26-159; its comment period closed Aug 28, 2026 (PUC data centers page).
Equipment stated: Modeled, not permitted: an Aug 7, 2026 acoustic memorandum by Kimley-Horn filed with the application models noise using approximate equipment at each of three data center buildings: up to four emergency backup generators (rating not stated), about 144 dry coolers, 24 water cooled chillers, 6 rooftop units and 4 substation transformers; the memo says final operational requirements are not yet set. Proposed separately by Minnesota Power: two parallel 230 kV transmission lines to a customer facility in Hermantown (St. Louis County 230 kV Transmission Line Project, EQB Monitor, Sep 8, 2026; the notice does not name the data center).

Project Skyway, Pine Island Industrial Planned Unit Development, with the Skyway 345 kV Transmission Line

Pine Island, Goodhue County, Minnesota

Record: PUC route permit docket 26-135 (Skyway 345 kV Transmission Line), Notice of Public Hearings and Availability of Draft Permit, Sep 4, 2026. The line would serve four new substations owned by Echo Zone LLC, a Google subsidiary, at the Pine Island Industrial PUD (Project Skyway); the PUC data centers page lists Echo Zone, LLC, Pine Island, as a data center customer. puc.eip.mn.gov
Applicant as named: Northern States Power Company, doing business as Xcel Energy, and Echo Zone LLC, a subsidiary of Google LLC (route permit filings and EQB Monitor, Sep 8, 2026); the PUC data centers page lists Echo Zone, LLC, Pine Island, as the data center customer in electric service agreement docket 26-170.
Stage: Permit pending. PUC draft route permit posted Aug 18, 2026 (PUC project page); public hearings Sep 14 and 15, 2026; comments closed Sep 25, 2026 (EQB Monitor, Sep 8, 2026). A Goodhue County District Court order of May 22, 2026 requires the developer to stop construction and pre construction work while a lawsuit over the city's environmental review proceeds, reported by MCEA, the plaintiff.
Equipment stated: Proposed in the route permit application: about 1.2 miles of double circuit 345 kV transmission line connecting Xcel's North Rochester Substation to four new substations, owned by Echo Zone LLC, at the Pine Island Industrial PUD site, plus an expansion of about 11.3 acres at the North Rochester Substation. Generators: none stated in the records we opened.
Next public date: Nov 16, 2026: a judge is scheduled to hear arguments in the lawsuit, reported by KTTC; Dec 4, 2026: close date listed for the Google and Xcel Energy electric service agreement dockets 26-170 and 26-171 (PUC docket tracker)

Inver Grove Heights Data Center (Carmen Avenue East, reported by MPR News)

Inver Grove Heights, Dakota County, Minnesota

Record: EQB Monitor notice of an environmental review petition, petition exempt from review, Aug 4, 2026 (RGU assigned notice Jul 7, 2026). content.govdelivery.com (EQB Monitor)
Applicant as named: Not named in the EQB notice; the developer is QLevr, a Florida company, reported by MPR News.
Stage: Early land or zoning. The EQB notice says environmental review has already been completed, so the citizen petition will not be considered. The City Council exempted the project from the city's data center moratorium, with a site plan application to follow, reported by MPR News on Sep 15, 2026.
Equipment stated: None stated in the records we opened.

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