Power
Power and the grid
Sources on record, size not disclosed
- Xcel Energy grid Not filedXcel sold the land; no service arrangement, load or power plan has been published News report · Feb. 2025
Getting on the grid
- The site sits near Xcel's Sherco coal plant, which is slated to retire (press). News report · Jan. 2025
Permits
Permits checklist
3 checked, nothing on file
Searches of city and state records found nothing filed for this site.
- –Checked, nothing on file: City rezoning, site plan or development agreement, Certificate of need or electric service agreement, Air permit or environmental review
Risks
What could slow it down
- MediumNo planMicrosoft has published no load, building program or power plan for the land. News report · Feb. 2025
- WatchEarlier pull-outMicrosoft withdrew from a planned Becker data center once before, in Dec. 2022 (press). News report · Feb. 2025
Timeline
What happened, and what is due
SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
- Dec. 2022Site Microsoft pulls out of an earlier planned data center in Becker (press) News report · Feb. 2025
- Feb. 2024Site Microsoft buys 295 acres from Xcel Energy for a future data center Local government · Feb. 2024
- July 2026Site Becker's mayor says the city has no specific proposal from any developer (press) News report · July 2026
- Sept. 2026Construction City says the Microsoft-controlled site has seen no construction (press) News report · Sept. 2026
Who is involved
Owners, partners and builders
Owners
- Microsoft: landowner
- Xcel Energy: seller of the land
Decision-makers
- City of Becker (Mayor Mark Kolbinger)
Still unknown
Open questions
- Any building plan or MW.
- Purchase price.
- Xcel service arrangement.
Where this comes from
18 records from 8 documents
Drawn from news reports and local government records, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.
News report 7Local government 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 (1)
- Tenant is Microsoft itself (owner-occupied, planned; No MW, load, building program or power plan has been published by Microsoft for this land.“In February of this year, Microsoft bought close to 300 acres of land from Xcel in Becker.”News report · Feb. 2025 · grade C
Money and contracts (3)
- Finance & Commerce reporting relayed by Data Centre Central: in September the Becker community development director said neither the Elk River Technologies site nor a nearby Microsoft-controlled site had seen constructio“Sanders told Finance & Commerce in September that neither the Elk River Technologies site nor a nearby site controlled by Microsoft had seen construction activity.”News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
- Microsoft bought close to 300 acres in Becker from Xcel Energy in Feb 2025, buying under its own name rather than through a front company. No purchase price for the Microsoft parcel was disclosed in the sources checked.“Becker signed an NDA with Microsoft, but early on the Seattle tech giant revealed its interest in a data center when buying land under its own name”News report · Feb. 2025 · grade C
- Microsoft's Becker position is land only at capture: a ~300-acre purchase from Xcel (the Sherco-site utility and presumptive provider - but no source names a service arrangement for Microsoft, so the utility is recorded“In February of this year, Microsoft bought close to 300 acres of land from Xcel in Becker.”News report · Feb. 2025 · grade C
Site and other (2)
- County code: 27141“In December 2022, the company pulled out of a planned data center in Becker, a city northwest of Minneapolis in Sherburne County.”News report · Feb. 2025 · grade C
- Project status: land acquired / land banked“In February of this year, Microsoft bought close to 300 acres of land from Xcel in Becker.”News report · Feb. 2025 · grade C