Data center profile · Startown Road, Maiden, Catawba County, North Carolina

Apple Maiden expansion

Apple is adding a 237,600 sq ft data center to its Maiden, North Carolina campus, $175 million build (press); no MW figure or finish date.

Campus live, expansion under way. Apple said in Aug. 2025 that construction was under way to expand its Maiden data center; the existing campus has operated for more than a decade. No MW figure, permit numbers or completion date for the expansion is public.
237,600 sq ft
new data-center building
on land Apple already owns (press, from permits)
$175M
expansion investment (press)
permit-based reporting, not an Apple figure
$448M
data-center expansion in the Nov. 2025 state incentive reset (press)
Catawba County; larger than the $175M building figure
~$4B
Apple's investment in the site to date (press)
campus built from 2009
OperatorApple Inc.
CustomerApple (its own services for North American users)
Planned IT capacity41 MW at full build-out (our estimate)
First building in serviceIn service since 2012 (about 41 MW of IT capacity live)
Next stepNo completion date published
Power

Power and the grid

31 MW energized plus sources of undisclosed size (totals add sources with a stated size; they can overlap)

Solar farm, Lincoln County (Phase 1)Operating
21 MW
AC; existing campus asset, not new capacity Dataset · Oct. 2026
Bloom Energy biogas fuel cellsOperating
10 MW
expanded from 4.8 MW in 2012; existing campus asset News report · Dec. 2012
Energized now
Other sources, size not disclosed
Related generation and energy contracts (context, not added to campus supply)

Getting on the grid

Permits

Permits checklist

4 granted

Approvals on record for the expansion and, for context, the existing campus.

Risks

What could slow it down

Money

Money on record

$175M
expansion building (press)
from permit-based reporting, Apr. 2025 News report · April 2025
$448M
data-center expansion in state incentive reset (press)
Nov. 2025 News report · Nov. 2025
$1B
added spending committed in the 2016 county deal
excludes solar and other green energy Local government · 2016
~$4B
invested in the site to date (press)
as of Apr. 2025 News report · April 2025
Timeline

What happened, and what is due

SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
  1. July 6, 2009
    Money Apple signs its first economic development agreement with Catawba County Local government · 2016
  2. Dec. 11, 2012
    Power State utility commission accepts Apple's fuel-cell expansion to 10 MW News report · Dec. 2012
  3. 2016
    Money County amends the deal to let Apple expand the site by 237 acres, with $1B more committed Local government · 2016
  4. June 6, 2016
    Power County approves a 16-year lease for Apple's landfill-gas fuel-cell site Local government · June 2016
  5. Feb. 24, 2025
    Site Apple's US investment pledge names more data-center capacity in North Carolina, without figures News report · Feb. 2025
  6. April 2025
    Permits Permits show a 237,600 sq ft data center on Apple land; press puts it at $175M News report · April 2025
  7. Aug. 6, 2025
    Construction Apple says construction is under way to expand the Maiden data center News report · Aug. 2025
  8. Nov. 27, 2025
    Money Apple's state incentive deal is reset, including $448M for data-center expansion in Catawba County (press) News report · Nov. 2025
The buildings

Specs

237,600 sq ft
new expansion building (press, from permits)
News report · April 2025
~1M sq ft
existing campus off Startown Road (press)
News report · April 2025
237 acres
site expansion the county allowed in 2016
Local government · 2016
Who is involved

Owners, partners and builders

Owners
  • Apple Inc.: owner, operator and user
Decision-makers
  • Catawba County Board of Commissioners: economic development agreement and landfill lease
  • North Carolina Utilities Commission: on-site generation filings
Power partners
  • Duke Energy Carolinas: serving utility
  • Bloom Energy: fuel cells
  • Quadrogen Power Systems: treats county landfill methane for Apple
Still unknown

Open questions

Where this comes from

36 records from 15 documents

Drawn from news reports, local government records, public and commercial datasets and company statements, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.

News report 10Local government 2Dataset 2Company 1
Evidence

Every quote behind this page

Grade key: A = the primary record itself (permit, filing, exhibit) · B = a dated official statement · C = news reporting. Map distances are our own measurements on OpenStreetMap and carry no grade. Allegations in lawsuits are marked as such in the quotes.

Power (6)
  • On-site generation: 68 MW
    “we installed 68 megawatts of Apple-created projects: two 20-megawatt solar projects, an 18-megawatt solar project, and 10 megawatts of biogas fuel cells”
    Company · April 2026 · grade A
  • Electricity use annual: 470000 MWh
    “ELECTRICITY USE IN 2025 470M KWH”
    Company · Dec. 2025 · grade A
  • Legacy on-site / dedicated renewables (operating since 2013): solar Phase 1 of 21 MWac (Lincoln County) and Phase 2 of 20 MWac (Catawba County) per the Global Energy Monitor tracker, plus the 10 MW Bloom fuel-cell instal
    “Apple Data Center solar farm is an operating solar photovoltaic (PV) farm in Lincoln County, North Carolina”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Charlotte Observer data-center feature reports the existing 505,000 sq ft Maiden building has 'capacity for 100 MW'; Basis (IT vs facility) is NOT stated by the source; the figure describes the existing building, predate
    “Apple's data center in Maiden, spanning 505,000 square feet, is currently the state's largest data center with capacity for 100 MW”
    News report · Dec. 2025 · grade C
  • Utility: Duke Energy Carolinas (Duke Energy)
    “The campus is fully powered by renewable energy, using biogas fuel cells from Bloom Energy, two 20MW solar arrays, and direct clean-energy purchases.”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • Apple's Feb 24, 2025 announcement of more than $500B in US investment over four years named expanding data center capacity in North Carolina (with Iowa, Oregon, Arizona and Nevada) but gave no NC-specific dollars, MW or
    “the company says that it also intends to continue expanding data center capacity in North Carolina, Iowa, Oregon, Arizona, and Nevada.”
    News report · Feb. 2025 · grade C
Money and contracts (9)
  • Land lease - Blackburn Resource Recovery Facility (landfill gas renewable energy center): land lease for fuel-cell renewable energy facility using treated landfill methane 5569.50 USD per year rent for first five years (
    “The lease lasts for 16 years with an option to go five years longer.”
    Local government · June 2016 · grade B
  • County economic development agreement - second amendment (site expansion): site expansion and investment commitment 1 USD billions (additional committed expenditures on the new properties, excluding solar and other green
    “The amendment essentially allows the expansion of Apple's current site by 237 acres.”
    Local government · 2016 · grade B
  • Tenant: Apple (own services campus; supports North American users of Apple services)
    “a significant investment in its state-of-the-art facility that supports North American users of Apple services”
    News report · Aug. 2025 · grade C
  • Expansion investment $175M for a new 237,600 sq ft data center building on Apple-owned land in Catawba County (Apr 2025 figure, reconfirmed Aug 2025); signal only, not a campus total
    “First announced in April 2025, the $175 million investment will see Apple build a 237,600 sq ft (22,074 sqm) data center”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • Developer: Apple Inc.
    “Apple is set to expand its footprint in North Carolina with a $175 million investment.”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • Announced investment: 175 USD millions
    “Apple is set to expand its footprint in North Carolina with a $175 million investment.”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • Expansion building sq ft: 237600 sq ft
    “First announced in April 2025, the $175 million investment will see Apple build a 237,600 sq ft (22,074 sqm) data center on land already owned by the company in Catawba County.”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • Cumulative investment to date: 4 USD billions
    “The campus was built in 2009, and thus far, Apple has invested around $4 billion in developing the site.”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • Business North Carolina's 2025 data center survey likewise carries the Maiden expansion at a $175 million planned investment, consistent with the April 2025 permit-based reporting
    “Apple is planning a $175 million investment at its data center in Maiden in Catawba County.”
    News report · 2025 · grade C
Permits and government (3)
  • April 2025 reporting (The Morganton News Herald via DCD; Baxtel permit summary) : permits reported for the expansion building
    “No details about construction timelines have been shared.”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • Business NC separately cites a $175M planned investment at the Maiden data center. No 2025-26 NCUC or NC DEQ expansion filing for Maiden was found in this pass; the campus (opened 2012; ~500,000 sq ft main hall on 171 ac
    “Apple is planning a $175 million investment at its data center in Maiden in Catawba County.”
    News report · Jan. 2025 · grade C
  • Apple's NCUC filing for the 100-acre Project Dolphin solar farm next to the Maid: certificate application filed for on-site solar generation
    “it's planned for 20MW energy output, with just under 25 megawatts (DC) generated at the PV module level.”
    News report · 2012 · grade C
Site and other (5)
  • County code: 37035
    “FCC Census Block API for site point 35.587231,-81.257041: Block FIPS 370350117022075; County FIPS 37035, Catawba County, North Carolina”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade A
  • Project status: expansion under construction (Apple confirmed construction underway at Maiden in its Aug 6, 2025 American Manufacturing Program announcement, per DCD)
    “The company also said that construction was underway in Maiden, North Carolina, where it is expanding the capacity of its data center”
    News report · Aug. 2025 · grade C
  • Project status: expansion under construction
    “construction was underway in Maiden, North Carolina, where it is expanding the capacity of its data center”
    News report · Aug. 2025 · grade C
  • Project identity: Apple iDataCenter Maiden campus expansion, Startown Road, Maiden, Catawba County, NC (existing Apple campus, operating since 2010-2011)
    “The company already has a data center campus in the area, spanning around one million sq ft (92,903 sqm) of space, off of Startown Road.”
    News report · April 2025 · grade C
  • No Maiden-specific job count stated for this expansion in any source found; Apple's Feb 2025 release gave no NC-specific dollars or jobs (campus employment of ~400 in local coverage is the existing campus, not the expans
    “Exact investment dollars and jobs for North Carolina were not included in Apple's release.”
    News report · Feb. 2025 · grade C