Data center profile · 100-300 White Clay Center Drive, off Ogletown Road (Route 273), Newark, New Castle County, Delaware

White Clay Center data center (Newark)

Shelbourne Global's plan for a data center at the 44-acre White Clay Center park near Newark, Delaware, paused since June 2026 under a non-binding deal.

Paused, not approved. In June 2026 the developer agreed to pause the plan under a non-binding deal but keeps the right to build; the county has not approved it. In Sept. 2026 Shelbourne filed to convert half a building to a vocational school.
44 acres
White Clay Center industrial park site
per the developer's land-use application (press)
848,300 sq ft
three new buildings in plans to replace seven (press)
another summary describes two buildings; the filings are not reconciled
Paused
data-center plan, under a June 2026 handshake deal
not binding; developer keeps the right to build
OperatorShelbourne Global (New York); land-use engineer Verdantas
CustomerNone named
Next deadlineJan. 2027: School district could move a vocational program into part of the site, as soon as January 2027
Permits

Permits checklist

1 paused · 1 pending · 1 granted

County and state actions on record.

Risks

Why it stopped, what could revive it

Power

Power and the grid

Sources on record, size not disclosed

Getting on the grid

Money

Money on record

Not on record: tax, water or land agreement: searched, Oct. 2026 News report · Oct. 2026

Timeline

What happened, and what is due

SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
  1. 2025
    Permits Exploratory plan for the White Clay Center Industrial Park filed with the county Local government · 2025
  2. Sept. 3, 2025
    Power State regulators open a large-load tariff case and pause new large-load hookups in Delmarva territory News report · Sept. 2025
  3. Jan. 2026
    Site Plans show the seven buildings demolished and replaced by three totaling 848,300 sq ft (press) News report · Jan. 2026
  4. March 10, 2026
    Permits County Council adopts data-center rules 12-0; this site is grandfathered News report · March 2026
  5. June 10, 2026
    Permits Developer's attorney agrees by email to pause the data center, if its plan keeps the old rules News report · July 2026
  6. Aug. 2026
    Power County planners ask the developer to confirm there is enough energy to serve the site News report · Aug. 2026
  7. Sept. 2026
    Site Shelbourne files to convert half a building into a vocational school; its lawyer says the data center is still being pursued News report · Sept. 2026
  8. Jan. 2027
    Site Earliest move-in for the school district's program News report · Sept. 2026
The buildings

Specs

7 buildings in the existing office park, to be consolidated or replaced. News report · Oct. 2026

Who is involved

Owners, partners and builders

Owners
  • Shelbourne Global: developer and owner
  • Verdantas: engineering and land-use applicant
Decision-makers
  • New Castle County Department of Land Use and County Council
  • Councilman Tim Sheldon: brokered the pause
  • Delaware Public Service Commission: large-load tariff
Power partners
  • Delmarva Power (Exelon): utility for the area
Others
  • Christina School District: proposed school tenant
  • JPMorgan Chase: has an office in the center
Still unknown

Open questions

Where this comes from

41 records from 12 documents

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

News report 10Dataset 1Local 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 (4)
  • County planning department asked the developer to confirm enough energy supply to serve the site; no supply figure stated
    “The county’s planning department submitted additional comments about the plan last month, including asking the developer to confirm there is enough energy supply to serve the site.”
    News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
  • Delmarva Power's response in the Delaware large-load tariff case lists four data center projects under review, one early-stage with size 'Undetermined'
    “They show that in its response to questions posed by the DPA in the state's large-load tariff case, Delmarva Power identified four data center projects under review at the time”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • Sierra Club Delaware estimate that White Clay would likely exceed 100 MW
    “Sierra Club Delaware estimates it would likely exceed 100 MW. But Delmarva did not provide a size, site or developer for its unnamed project”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • Delmarva Power disclosed an unnamed New Castle County data center project in 'early-stage conversation' in records reported Jun 2026; Month precision.
    “Sierra Club Delaware estimates it would likely exceed 100 MW. But Delmarva did not provide a size, site or developer for its unnamed project, so the overlap remains unconfirmed.”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
Money and contracts (3)
  • Shelbourne attorney said the client is still trying to get the data center plan approved but remains open to other tenants
    “Tucker, an attorney representing Shelbourne, said his client is still trying to get the data center plan approved, but remains open to other tenants for the vacant buildings”
    News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
  • Data center plan PAUSED under a private deal brokered by County Councilman Sheldon (developer's counsel email dated Jun 10, 2026), reported Jul 2026. The pause is conditioned on exploratory-plan approval that preserves t
    “On July 3, it was reported that plans were being paused after New Castle County Councilman Tim Sheldon made a deal with the developers.”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
  • Developer agreed by email (June 10, 2026, attorney Shawn Tucker to Councilman Tim Sheldon) to pause the data center project, conditional on finalising the exploratory plan so the site is grandfathered under pre-2026 rule
    “An email sent between Sheldon and Tucker, dated June 10, shows that Tucker agreed to pause the data center project under those conditions.”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
Permits and government (7)
  • In September 2026 Shelbourne filed an exploratory plan to convert half an existing White Clay Center building into a 10-classroom vocational technical school (Christina School District relocation approved by its board in
    “Earlier this month, New York-based developer Shelbourne submitted plans to the county to convert half of an existing building in the White Clay Center, a Newark-area industrial and office park, into a 10-classroom vocational technical school.”
    News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
  • Shelbourne seeks to convert half of an existing building to a 10-classroom vocational technical school for Christina School District Networks Schools; board approved relocation as soon as Jan 2027
    “During an August board meeting, Christina school board members approved an agenda item to relocate the school as soon as January 2027.”
    News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
  • County planning department submitted additional comments on the exploratory plan: County planning comments on exploratory plan
    “The county's planning department submitted additional comments about the plan last month, including asking the developer to confirm there is enough energy supply to serve the site.”
    News report · Aug. 2026 · grade C
  • Project status: at risk paused not approved
    “New Castle County Councilman Tim Sheldon says he recently brokered a handshake deal to pause a data center development project near Newark.”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
  • Zoning status: Site is already properly zoned and grandfathered out of New Castle County Ordinance 25-101 (2026 data center regulations)
    “It is already properly zoned, does not lie within the Coastal Zone and would not be affected by the new regulations.”
    News report · March 2026 · grade C
  • New Castle County Council:
    “Council unanimously approved Ordinance 25-101 in a 12-0 vote. Councilman Jea Street was absent.”
    News report · March 2026 · grade C
  • Joint petition presented Sep 3, 2025 by PSC Staff and the Division of the Public: Docket opened to develop a large-load tariff for Delmarva Power & Light; interconnection of new large-load facilities in Delmarva territor
    “to pause the interconnection of any new large load facilities in Delmarva Power & Light ("Delmarva") territory until a large load tariff is established”
    News report · Sept. 2025 · grade C
Legal (1)
  • Community backlash in northern Delaware over water, energy and noise; no lawsuit against this project found
    “After the filing, the plans became wrapped into a larger community backlash in northern Delaware against the growth of the data center industry.”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
Site and other (6)
  • Project identity: White Clay Center data center at 100-300 White Clay Center Drive, Newark, DE 19711 (White Clay Center industrial/office park, off Ogletown Road / Route 273)
    “100-300 WHITE CLAY CENTER DR, NEWARK, DE 19711”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • County code: 10003
    “The proposed data center would sit just off of Ogletown Road, on a 44-acre site currently occupied by the White Clay Center Industrial Park”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Site acreage: 44 acres
    “The proposed data center would sit just off of Ogletown Road, on a 44-acre site currently occupied by the White Clay Center Industrial Park, according to a land use application from the developer”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Project status: Exploratory plan in county review, NOT approved; developer paused the project under a non-binding handshake deal in June 2026; no construction
    “But the data center plan has not yet been approved by the county.”
    News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
  • Developer: Shelbourne Global (New York-based); land-use applicant/engineer Verdantas
    “Earlier this month, New York-based developer Shelbourne submitted plans to the county to convert half of an existing building in the White Clay Center”
    News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
  • Newark-area residents opposed the proposal over water, energy use and noise
    “Neighbors have voiced fears that such data centers would use too much water and energy, and be too noisy.”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C