Permits
Permits checklist
1 pending · 2 granted
City approvals, the utility contract and the court order on record.
- ◷Electric service and interconnection agreements PendingMinnesota Public Utilities Commission · April 14, 2026: AG urged the commission to withhold approval Utility regulator · April 2026
- ✓Final plat, rezoning, planned unit development and development agreement GrantedPine Island City Council · Jan. 20, 2026: 5-0; preliminary plat approved Dec. 16, 2025 Company · Jan. 2026
- ✓Property tax abatements (20 years) GrantedPine Island City Council · Feb. 4, 2026: school district declined to take part Local government · Feb. 2026
Risks
Why it stopped, what could revive it
- HighCourt orderA restraining order has stopped construction while the environmental-review lawsuit is pending. see Lawsuits
- HighPower contract contestedThe Attorney General's office argues Xcel has not shown the Google contract is reasonable or in the public interest. News report · Oct. 2026
- MediumOnly one building leasedGoogle is the tenant of the first building only; Ryan is courting tenants for three more (press). News report · Feb. 2026
- WatchSecrecy backlashGoogle did not acknowledge the project until after the council approved it. Company · Feb. 2026
Lawsuits
1 case on record
- Pending; restraining order in effect Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy challenge to the environmental reviewGoodhue County District Court News report · May 2026construction halted in May 2026; hearing set for Nov. 16, 2026
Power
Power and the grid
Contracted, size not disclosed
Sources on record, size not disclosed
- Xcel Energy grid (transmission-voltage service) Signed, approval pendingcampus load redacted as a trade secret in the petition; service contract awaits state approval Utility regulator · April 2026
Related generation and energy contracts (context, not added to campus supply)
- New wind on Xcel's grid (Google clean-energy deal) Proposed1,400 MW; grid resource the deal would support, not dedicated campus supply News report · Feb. 2026
- New solar on Xcel's grid (same deal) Proposed200 MW; grid resource; a further 300 MW of iron-air batteries is storage, not generation News report · Feb. 2026
Getting on the grid
Who supplies what, what it costs, and what is still not public.
- Feb. 24, 2026Clean-energy deal announcedGoogle and Xcel announce new wind, solar and iron-air storage, plus $50M from Google for Xcel's Capacity*Connect program. News report · Feb. 2026
- April 14, 2026Service contract filed with state regulatorsXcel asks the Minnesota utility commission to approve its electric service and transmission-voltage interconnection agreements with Google's subsidiary Echo Zone LLC. see Permits
- Oct. 1, 2026Attorney General objectsThe AG's office says Xcel has not shown the Google contract is reasonable or in the public interest. News report · Oct. 2026
- Not setRegulator decision: pendingNo approval order was found as of Oct. 2026; the docket is in its comment phase. News report · Oct. 2026
- Xcel says Google pays all costs of serving its load, with a minimum monthly bill, credit support and an exit fee. Utility regulator · April 2026
- The petition redacts the campus load; a 780 MW figure in Oct. 2026 press reports is not in the public filing. News report · Oct. 2026
Money
Money on record
20 years
city property tax abatement per property
capped at 85% of the city's abatement cap each year Local government · Feb. 2026
$50M
from Google to Xcel's Capacity*Connect program
part of the clean-energy deal (press) News report · Feb. 2026
$130M
city property tax over the first 28 years
developer figures, with $100M of utility and road upgrades (press) News report · Feb. 2026
Timeline
What happened, and what is due
SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
- Nov. 10, 2025Permits Planning workshop reviews Ryan Companies' applications for Project Skyway Local government · Oct. 2026
- Dec. 16, 2025Permits Preliminary plat and development plan approved Company · Jan. 2026
- Jan. 20, 2026Permits City Council approves final plat, rezoning, planned development and development agreement, 5-0 Company · Jan. 2026
- Feb. 4, 2026Money Council grants 20-year property tax abatements Local government · Feb. 2026
- Feb. 24, 2026Power Google is revealed as the tenant, after the approvals, and announces its clean-energy deal with Xcel Company · Feb. 2026
- March 16, 2026Legal Court filing against the project says no noise modeling has been provided (allegation) Court filing · March 2026
- April 14, 2026Power Xcel asks state regulators to approve its service contract with Google Utility regulator · April 2026
- May 2026Legal Goodhue County court order halts construction News report · May 2026
- Oct. 1, 2026Power Attorney General's office urges regulators to withhold approval of the contract News report · Oct. 2026
- Nov. 16, 2026Legal Hearing on the environmental-review lawsuit in Red Wing News report
The buildings
Specs
Who is involved
Owners, partners and builders
Owners
- Ryan Companies US Inc.: developer of record
- JPW South Owner, LLC (developer) and JPW North Owner, LLC (operator): parties to the tax abatement
Customer
- Google, through Echo Zone LLC: first-building tenant
Decision-makers
- Pine Island City Council: approvals and abatements
- Minnesota Public Utilities Commission: service contract
- Goodhue County District Court: environmental-review case
Power partners
- Xcel Energy (Northern States Power Co.-Minnesota): serving utility
- Form Energy: iron-air batteries in the clean-energy deal
Opponents
- Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy: lawsuit
- Minnesota Attorney General's office: opposes approving the contract as filed
Still unknown
Open questions
- Campus load in MW (redacted in the filing).
- When construction can resume.
- Tenants for the three other buildings.
Where this comes from
38 records from 8 documents
Drawn from news reports, local government records, utility regulator dockets, company statements, state agency records and court filings, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.
News report 5Local government 1Utility regulator 1Company 1State agency 1Court filing 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 (3)
- Xcel Energy is the contracted supplier under a signed ESA now before the PUC. A 780 MW campus figure circulates in Oct. 2026 press coverage (CNBC via secondary reports) - it is NOT in the public petition (load is trade-s“The company partnered with the city of Pine Island and Minnesota utility Xcel Energy on the project, with the latter supplying power to the new data center.”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Construction Review fact sheet claims up to 2,700 MW at full build-out“Power Requirement: Up to 2,700 MW at full build-out; Xcel Energy agreement includes 1,400 MW wind, 200 MW solar, and a 300 MW battery installation”News report · May 2026 · grade C
- Xcel-Google agreement under the new Clean Energy Accelerator Charge (CEAC): 1,400 MW wind, 200 MW solar and 300 MW battery storage of NEW CLEAN-ENERGY RESOURCES added to Xcel's grid, plus $50M from Google for Xcel's Capa“The agreement with Xcel will support the addition of 1.4GW of wind power, 200MW of solar park, and 300MW of iron-air battery storage developed by Form Energy”News report · Feb. 2026 · grade C
Money and contracts (12)
- electric service agreement: pay all attributable costs; minimum monthly bill, credit support and exit fee protections 1100000000 USD claimed net benefit to other customers over term (Xcel estimate, disputed - see conflic“Not only will Google pay all costs attributable to adding its expected load, but the Agreements include firm protections”Utility regulator · April 2026 · grade A
- Tax Abatement Agreement / business subsidy: abatement term 20 tax years per property“The term of the Abatement for the Southern Property will be for twenty (20) tax years”Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade B
- Tax Abatement Agreement / business subsidy: annual abatement cap 85 percent of the City Abatement Cap“the total of the Abatements for the Development in any tax year will not exceed eighty-five percent (85%) of the Abatement Cap”Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade B
- Tax Abatement Agreement / business subsidy: employment target - Stage 1 38 new employment positions at >=120% of Goodhue County average wage“it is expected that the Operator will create at least thirty-eight (38) new employment positions with an average annual compensation of at least one hundred and twenty percent (120%)”Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade B
- Tax abatement agreement: term 20 tax years per property“The term of the Abatement for the Southern Property will be for twenty (20) tax years”Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade B
- Tax abatement agreement: abatement cap 85% of the City Abatement Cap percent“for the Development in any tax year will not exceed eighty-five percent (85%) of the Abatement Cap”Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade B
- Tax abatement agreement: investment commitment (Stage 1) 700000000 USD“Capital investment of approximately seven hundred million dollars ($700,000,000) for the first Stage of the Development”Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade B
- Tax abatement agreement: job commitments 38 jobs“Creation by the Operator of at least thirty-eight (38) new employment positions having average annual compensation of at least one hundred and twenty percent (120%) of the annualized Goodhue County average wage”Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade B
- Development Agreement: approval of city development agreement“Final Plat, Rezoning, Planned Unit Development (PUD), City Development Agreement*”Company · Jan. 2026 · grade B
- clean energy accelerator charge (CEAC): new clean resources supported: 1,400 MW wind + 200 MW solar + 300 MW iron-air battery storage (Form Energy); plus $50M to Xcel Capacity*Connect program 1,900 MW of new wind/solar/st“The agreement with Xcel will support the addition of 1.4GW of wind power, 200MW of solar park, and 300MW of iron-air battery storage developed by Form Energy”News report · Feb. 2026 · grade C
- Financial agreement passed Feb 2026 as reported: $100M in utility and road infrastructure upgrades funded by Ryan Companies, a $24M fund for Pine Island schools and $3M direct city funding, plus over $130M in new propert“The news release also lists significant investments that would benefit Pine Island, including $130 million in city property tax revenue in the first 28 years of its operations”News report · Feb. 2026 · grade C
- Google is tenant of the first building only (250,000 sq ft data center plus office building, about 88-90 acres)“Ryan Companies plans to develop a 482-acre site in Pine Island with a new Google data center announced as the first tenant.”News report · Feb. 2026 · grade C
Permits and government (6)
- Northern States Power Co. d/b/a Xcel Energy petitioned the MN PUC (filed Apr. 14: ESA petition FILED - approval requested (Docket No. E002/M-26-170)“submits to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission the enclosed Petition requesting approval of contracts that will enable the Company to provide electric service”Utility regulator · April 2026 · grade A
- Google was publicly revealed as the company behind Project Skyway on Feb 24, 2026 - after the Council approvals; Google had not acknowledged the project until after the City Council had approved the proposal“Google didn't even acknowledge it was behind the Pine Island project until after the City Council had approved the proposal.”Company · Feb. 2026 · grade B
- IRB/abatement ordinance, Resolution granting real property tax abatements and a: adopted“RESOLUTION GRANTING REAL PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENTS”Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade B
- City of Pine Island City Council (special meeting):“On February 4, 2026, the City Council conducted a duly noticed public hearing on the Abatements proposed to be granted by the City.”Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade B
- City of Pine Island City Council:“The initial project entitlements received unanimous approval at the January city council meeting, and permit submissions are anticipated in early 2026.”Company · Jan. 2026 · grade B
- Project status: stalled - construction halted by court order“Legal Status: Temporary restraining order in effect; MCEA lawsuit pending in Goodhue County District Court”News report · May 2026 · grade C
Legal (2)
- Decisive B6 item: the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy's lawsuit challenging the project's environmental review is scheduled for a Nov 16, 2026 hearing in Red Wing; a Goodhue County judge's order paused the pr“Conditional Use Permit Approved: January 2026, Pine Island City Council”News report · grade C
- A Goodhue County court order halted Project Skyway construction progress in May 2026 while the MCEA environmental-review suit is pending; a hearing on the environmental review was scheduled for Nov 16, 2026 in Red Wing“Legal Status: Temporary restraining order in effect; MCEA lawsuit pending in Goodhue County District Court”News report · May 2026 · grade C
Site and other (1)
- County code: 27049“Location: Pine Island, Goodhue County, Minnesota, USA”News report · Feb. 2026 · grade C