Power
Power and the grid
Contracted, size not disclosed
Sources on record, size not disclosed
- Minnesota Power grid Signed, approval pendingcampus power draw not stated; 15-year contract awaits state approval Utility regulator · April 2026
Related generation and energy contracts (context, not added to campus supply)
- New wind on Minnesota Power's system Proposed300 MW; resource the contract would add, with 400 MW of battery storage; not dedicated campus supply Utility regulator · April 2026
Getting on the grid
Who supplies what, what it costs, and what is still not public.
- March 3, 2026Service contract announcedGoogle says its contract with Minnesota Power will see 700 MW of clean-energy resources developed (wind plus storage). News report · March 2026
- April 2026Filed with state regulatorsMinnesota Power asks the state utility commission to approve the 15-year contract and related rate changes. see Permits
- Not setState decision: pendingNo decision was found as of Oct. 2026; the Attorney General's office has filed comments. Utility regulator · Oct. 2026
- All transmission upgrades for the data center are to be paid through a separate facilities construction agreement, with surcharge protections for other customers. Utility regulator · April 2026
- The campus's expected power draw has not been stated by Google, Minnesota Power or the regulator. News report · April 2026
- Minnesota Power has proposed new 230 kV transmission lines tied to the project, now listed with the state Environmental Quality Board. Local government · Oct. 2026
Permits
Permits checklist
2 withdrawn · 2 pending · 2 granted
City approvals, environmental review and the utility contract on record.
- ↩Special use permit (first application) WithdrawnHermantown Planning and Zoning Commission · Nov. 10, 2025: Mortenson pulled the applications for more public engagement Local government · Nov. 2025
- ↩City tax abatement WithdrawnCity of Hermantown · Oct. 15, 2026: Google no longer seeks tax breaks (press) News report · Oct. 2026
- ◷Special use permit (current request) PendingHermantown Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council · as of Oct. 2026: commission Oct. 20, council Oct. 26 (press) News report · Oct. 2026
- ◷Electric service agreement PendingMinnesota Public Utilities Commission · April 2026: Docket 26-159; Attorney General has challenged it Utility regulator · April 2026
- ✓Rezoning from residential to commercial GrantedHermantown City Council · Oct. 20, 2025: 4-0 after nearly six hours of testimony (press) News report · Oct. 2025
- ✓Alternative Urban Areawide Review (environmental review) GrantedHermantown City Council · Oct. 5, 2026: final review adopted Local government · Oct. 2026
Risks
What could slow it down
- HighPermit vote still aheadThe city says no project action will be taken without completing the environmental review, and the permit itself had not been voted on as of mid-Oct. 2026. see Permits
- MediumPower contract challengedThe Attorney General's office has challenged the Minnesota Power contract in comments to regulators. see Permits
- MediumLocal opposition and a lawsuitMost of the 50-plus speakers at the rezoning hearing opposed it, and a lawsuit followed. see Permits
Lawsuits
1 case on record
- Filed Nov. 2025 Lawsuit over the Hermantown data centerCourt not named in the city record Local government · Nov. 2025received by the city Nov. 5, 2025; parties and claims not stated in the record
Money
Money on record
$5M
Google energy-impact funding for lower-income customers
in the service contract Utility regulator · April 2026
$600M-$800M
utility-estimated benefit to existing customers
over 15 years Utility regulator · April 2026
$42M+
for local schools in the dropped tax-break draft
over 28 years; Google withdrew the request Oct. 2026 (press) News report · Oct. 2026
~$650M
first phase, per chamber-cited reporting; full build possibly billions
Timeline
What happened, and what is due
SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
- Oct. 20, 2025Permits Council rezones residential land for 'Project Loon', 4-0, before Google is named; about 300 people crowd the hearing News report · Oct. 2025
- Nov. 5, 2025Legal City receives a lawsuit over the project; a state petition had sought an environmental worksheet Local government · Nov. 2025
- Nov. 10, 2025Permits Mortenson withdraws the permit applications for more public engagement Local government · Nov. 2025
- March 3, 2026Power Google confirms the project and a service contract with Minnesota Power Local government · Oct. 2026
- April 2026Power Minnesota Power files the 15-year contract for state approval Utility regulator · April 2026
- May 4, 2026Money Council tables the project agreements after a public hearing Local government · May 2026
- Oct. 5, 2026Permits Council adopts the final environmental review Local government · Oct. 2026
- Oct. 15, 2026Money Google drops its request for city tax breaks (press) News report · Oct. 2026
- Oct. 2026Permits Planning and Zoning Commission takes up the special use permit News report · Oct. 2026
- Oct. 26, 2026Permits City Council to consider the permit and related agreements News report · Oct. 2026
The buildings
Specs
Who is involved
Owners, partners and builders
Owners
- Google: owner and user
- Mortenson: builder that filed the first applications
Decision-makers
- Hermantown City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission
- Minnesota Public Utilities Commission: service contract
- Minnesota Environmental Quality Board: transmission review
Power partners
- Minnesota Power (ALLETE): serving utility
Advisers
- Braun Intertec: third-party technical review of the environmental study
Still unknown
Open questions
- Campus power draw in MW.
- Outcome of the Oct. 26 council vote.
- Who filed the Nov. 2025 lawsuit and its status.
Where this comes from
26 records from 7 documents
Drawn from news reports, local government records and utility regulator dockets, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.
News report 5Local government 1Utility regulator 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 (2)
- Minnesota Power is the contracted supplier (ESA in PUC Docket 26-159). The expected power draw of the Hermantown campus has not been stated by Google, Minnesota Power or the PUC filing summary - the only MW in this recor“The expected power draw of the data center has not been stated.”News report · April 2026 · grade C
- Minnesota Power-Google Electric Service Agreement: 700 MW of NEW CLEAN-ENERGY RESOURCES (300 MW wind and 400 MW battery storage) developed without increasing costs to existing customers. These are grid resource figures,“Google has also revealed that it has signed an electric service agreement with Minnesota Power, which will see 700MW of clean energy resources developed”News report · March 2026 · grade C
Money and contracts (5)
- electric service agreement: 15-year ESA term; all transmission network upgrades for the data center paid through the Facilities Construction Agreement; Large Power Surcharge protections for other customers 15 years (init“A 15-year ESA with Google”Utility regulator · April 2026 · grade A
- electric service agreement - clean energy / community clauses: ESA will result in 300 MW wind and 400 MW storage on Minnesota Power's system; Google contributes $5 million in energy impact funding for low-to-moderate-inc“the ESA will result in 300 MW wind and 400 MW storage on MP’s system”Utility regulator · April 2026 · grade A
- Google will no longer seek tax breaks for the Hermantown data center, city officials announced in October 2026; the April draft would have returned most city property tax over 28 years in exchange for over $42 million to“Google will no longer seek tax breaks for its proposed Hermantown data center, city officials announced Wednesday, following months of community concerns.”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Electric Service Agreement: clean energy resources to be developed (mw generation onsite basis - generation/storage resources, NOT a campus load figure) 700 MW“Google has also revealed that it has signed an electric service agreement with Minnesota Power, which will see 700MW of clean energy resources developed”News report · March 2026 · grade C
- Tenant is Google itself (owner-occupied; First phase was estimated at about $650M in chamber-cited reporting, with full build-out potentially into the billions; those investment figures are kept in this signal, not campu“Google has confirmed it is the company behind the 403-acre data center campus project in Hermantown, Minnesota.”News report · March 2026 · grade C
Permits and government (5)
- City of Hermantown City Council:“At the October 5, 2026, Hermantown City Council meeting, the 2026 Final Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) was adopted by the Hermantown City Council.”Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade A
- MN PUC April 2026 newsletter: Minnesota Power filed the Electric Service Agreeme: ESA filed for approval (Docket 26-159, Minnesota Power-Google)“Minnesota Power filed the Electric Service Agreement with Google for the Hermantown Data Center and requests approval of:”Utility regulator · April 2026 · grade A
- Project status: announced; SUP withdrawn Nov 2025; AUAR adopted Oct 5 2026“At the October 5, 2026, Hermantown City Council meeting, the 2026 Final Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) was adopted by the Hermantown City Council.”Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- The project's Special Use Permit request was scheduled to go before the Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct 20, 2026, with the City Council scheduled to consider the permit and related agreements Oct 26, 2026“The project's special use permit request is scheduled to go before the Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 20. The City Council is scheduled to consider the permit and related agreements Oct. 26”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- City of Hermantown City Council:“On October 20, weeks after the details leaked but months before Google would be identified, the Hermantown City Council voted unanimously to rezone residential land as commercial to accommodate Project Loon.”News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
Legal (1)
- Decisive B6 items (city record): the city received a lawsuit regarding this project on Nov 5, 2025, and the EQB received a petition on Oct 17, 2025 requesting an Environmental Assessment Worksheet be prepared for the pro“The City of Hermantown received a lawsuit regarding this project on November 5.”Local government · Nov. 2025 · grade B
Site and other (1)
- County code: 27137“Google has confirmed it is the company behind the 403-acre data center campus project in Hermantown, Minnesota.”News report · March 2026 · grade C