Google to build new data center in Pine Island

Google announced that Pine Island, Minnesota will be the future home of a Google data center.

• Main announcement: Google will build a data center in Pine Island, Minnesota in collaboration with the city and Xcel Energy, and will pay all costs associated with its electric service. The energy deal uses a newly designed contract structure called the Clean Energy Accelerator Charge (CEAC) and includes adding 1,400 MW of wind, 200 MW of solar, and 300 MW of iron‑air battery storage from Form Energy to Xcel’s grid; Google will also provide $50 million to bolster Xcel’s Capacity*Connect Program.
• Background and details: The CEAC is modeled on the Clean Transition Tariff (CTT) Google developed with NV Energy; the structure is intended to accelerate clean energy deployment without shifting costs to local customers. Links and references in the announcement point to Google and Xcel Energy press pages for further details.