Minnesota Data Center News

Jun 24, 2026

Construction employment rises in 30 states over past year, AGC reports

The Associated General Contractors of America reported that construction employment increased in 30 states and the District of Columbia between May 2025 and May 2026.

Main announcement: AGC reported state construction employment increased in 30 states and D.C. between May 2025 and May 2026; Texas added 18,700 jobs (2.1%), North Carolina added 13,600, Wisconsin added 9,000, and Wisconsin posted the largest percentage increase (6.2%); California recorded the largest annual decline at 13,100 jobs (−1.5%).
Monthly detail and risks: From April to May, construction employment increased in 23 states and D.C., declined in 22 states, and was unchanged in 5 states; monthly leaders included Texas (+3,600) and Wisconsin (+2,900). AGC officials Ken Simonson and Jeffrey D. Shoaf cautioned that opposition to data center projects and uncertainty over federal transportation funding pose threats to future construction job growth.

Jun 19, 2026

Earth’s Follies Week 70: the murky pool of consequences

Xylb’tok the Martian publishes a satirical opinion column summarising multiple recent Earth events including US military strikes in Venezuela, a paused US-Iran peace/rebuilding deal, and pollution allegations at Elon Musk’s xAI data centre.

Main announcement/action: The piece reports on recent US military strikes in Venezuela (targets linked to Tren de Aragua), a widely reported US contribution of around $300bn towards rebuilding tied to a Trump-Iran peace settlement (the deal was reported paused due to ongoing conflict and followed shortly by a reported ceasefire). It also highlights allegations that xAI’s data centre in Memphis/North Mississippi is emitting pollution from dozens of gas turbines and that the NAACP has called for federal intervention (and that there is a legal effort to shut down the lawsuit).
Background and other details: The column is opinion/satire (not a primary announcement); it references reporting from Reuters, The Guardian, BBC, The Independent and AP News, mentions millions in cost overruns and hydrogen-peroxide treatments at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and cites calls to invoke the Insurrection Act (reported urging by JD Vance). The piece mixes factual references and satire rather than announcing a new policy directly.

Jun 18, 2026

Battery Storage Moves Closer to Data Centers, but Challenges Persist

DataBank has deployed utility-scale BESS at several data centers and connected two systems to a virtual power plant to shave peak demand and support grid operations.

Main action: DataBank has deployed utility-scale BESS at several data centers, with two systems connected to a virtual power plant to help utilities avoid building new generation and improve grid flexibility; Google has announced plans for a 300 MW iron-air battery at a Minnesota data center and partnered with Voltus on a 100 MW virtual power plant initiative in PJM.
Context and details:Peak Energy (partnering with General Motors) is developing sodium-ion batteries and claims reduced system complexity and up to 20% lifetime operational savings; operators cite cost, footprint, performance, BOS complexity, cooling, and public acceptance as primary deployment constraints, and note that BESS deployment remains requirement-driven rather than standard across new builds.

Jun 10, 2026

Behind-the-meter data center gas plants will raise US energy bills

Energy Innovation authors Jeffrey Rissman and Eric Gimon argue that data centers building on-site natural-gas power plants will raise energy prices for U.S. households and businesses and that policymakers should require data centers to supply their own clean on-site electricity.

Main announcement/action: The authors call for a “bring your own clean energy” mandate so data centers do not rely on on-site natural-gas plants; they cite concrete capacity examples including a Richland Parish, LA facility using ~2.2 GW, a Cheyenne-area project with a 1.8 GW first phase designed to scale to 10 GW, and a BloombergNEF finding that ~100 GW of on-site gas capacity is planned for U.S. data centers. The piece urges that data centers instead deploy wind/solar + batteries and enhanced geothermal to provide firm, fuel-free power.
Background and supporting details: The article documents that combined-cycle gas turbines are back-ordered 5–7 years, forcing use of inefficient turbines that increase pollution (citing an xAI Clean Air Act lawsuit), and describes policy tools to implement the proposal including “permit-by-rule”, pre-authorized renewable zones (Texas CREZ, Nevada Solar Energy Zones, Arizona Renewable Energy Incentive Districts), and mentions state laws that streamline permitting (Michigan HB 5120, Illinois HB 4412). It also gives examples of companies already using clean on-site supply (Google: 1.6 GW wind+solar with 300 MW battery; Amazon: 1.2 GW solar + equal battery storage).

Jun 5, 2026

Google commits to replenish more water than it uses by 2030

Google announced a goal to replenish more water than it uses by 2030 and committed $17 million to water stewardship projects across seven U.S. states.

Main announcement: Google committed to replenish more water than it uses by 2030, is investing $17 million in new water stewardship projects across Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas, and is reviewing 700+ RFI submissions to identify early-concept projects eligible for co-funding that can come online before 2030. The announcement was published in a company blog (June 3) by Google leaders Bikash Koley and Ben Townsend, and Google reported replenishing over 7 billion gallons in 2025 and expects to replenish over 19 billion gallons by 2030 through its stewardship projects.
Background and implementation details: Google currently has 165 water stewardship projects across 97 watersheds and pledged to help local utilities modernize infrastructure, report annual water consumption, and use air cooling or recycled/alternative water in at-risk areas (noting Google states water cooling uses ~10% less energy than air cooling). Google joined the Data Center Innovation Initiative with Amazon, Meta and Microsoft to pilot sustainable data center technologies. Independent findings cited include Berkeley Lab data on U.S. data center water use (66 billion liters direct in 2023; 60–124 billion liters projected direct use by 2028 for hyperscale centers; ~800 billion liters indirect via electricity in 2023), and reports from Ceres and WRI on uneven corporate progress and global water stress.

Jun 5, 2026

Google signs 100MW distributed energy resource VPP agreement with Voltus for PJM

Voltus and Google announced a three-year agreement to aggregate up to 100MW of distributed energy resources (DERs) each year into a Google-funded virtual power plant (VPP) in the PJM region.

Main announcement: Voltus will aggregate up to 100MW of DERs each year from local businesses and homes into a Google-funded VPP in PJM under a three-year agreement; Voltus will pay participating customers, described as “turning Google’s capacity demand into real economic benefits for PJM customers.”
Background and related details:PJM covers parts of 13 US states and the District of Columbia and contains Virginia’s “Data Centre Alley”; the article references an ESC study projecting +16GW by 2028 and +30GW by 2032 of summer peak growth, and notes other Google-related projects including a DTE agreement (1,600MW solar + 450MW storage) and Xcel/Form Energy 30GWh iron-air deployment at a Google site; it also cites Lightshift Energy deploying distribution-scale batteries in Virginia as an alternative approach.

Jun 4, 2026

Google Launches 1-GW-Plus Co-Located Data Center and Generation Complex in Texas Panhandle

Google and Intersect have launched construction on the Meitner Energy Center, a co-located data center and generation complex in the Texas Panhandle (Gray and Roberts Counties) that will integrate more than 1 GW of wind, solar and battery storage with on-site gas-fired generation for reliability firming.

Main announcement: Google and Intersect began construction on the Meitner Energy Center in Gray and Roberts Counties, Texas, a co-located data center + generation complex designed to deliver more than 1 GW of wind/solar/battery with on-site gas firming; the Google data center will use air-cooling (no evaporative cooling) and Google is establishing the Caprock Workforce Hub (an 800-acre managed residential facility intended to house up to 3,500 workers) to support construction. The site’s power is intended to be provided majority from clean energy on Day One, with a minority share firmed by on-site gas; Google referenced its $10 million Texas Water Impact Fund in relation to water stewardship.
Background and other details: Alphabet closed its acquisition of Intersect in March 2026 for $4.75 billion in cash plus assumed debt; prior partnerships included a >$800 million funding round led by Google and TPG Rise Climate tied to a targeted $20 billion in renewable infrastructure through the decade. The article also cites Google’s broader $40 billion Texas investment commitment through 2027, prior and new PPAs (e.g., Clearway ~1.17 GW, TotalEnergies 1 GW, Sunraycer ~400 MW, Linea 500 MW), the Quantum project (640 MW solar / 1.3 GWh storage scheduled to start operations June 2026), and Google’s commitments such as training 1,700 electrical apprentices by 2030 and a $30 million Texas Energy Impact Fund (first recipients announced May 2026).

Jun 3, 2026

Arkansas County’s Data Center Moratorium Failed Over Vote Miscount

Pulaski County Quorum Court’s proposed yearlong moratorium on data center development will not take effect after officials determined the vote had been miscounted.

County Clerk Terri Hollingsworth said the measure received 8 votes, short of the 10 needed for passage (the original count showed 10 votes). The ordinance was originally sponsored by Justice of the Peace Julie Blackwood, who plans to reintroduce it as soon as she can. The failed ordinance included an exemption for AVAIO Digital Leo.
AVAIO Digital Leo is a planned data center near Wrightsville; project manager Thomas Nesel said the center’s daily water demand would be about 200,000 gallons during warmer months and it would initially require 150 megawatts, with demand estimated to reach 1 gigawatt as the facility grows. Republican Justice of the Peace Phil Stowers supported the exemption, saying the company had “spent a heck of a lot of money to invest in this community.” The article also notes similar local actions: Denver passed a yearlong moratorium and Minneapolis passed a six-month moratorium on new data centers.

Jun 3, 2026

Data Center Jobs: Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, Sales, Field Service and Facility Tech Jobs Available in Major Data Center Hotspots

Data Center Frontier, in partnership with Pkaza, posts the latest data center career opportunities on its jobs board.

Main announcement: Data Center Frontier and Pkaza have published a roundup of active data center job openings covering roles such as Mechanical Applications Engineer, Electrical Commissioning Engineer, Project Coordinator, Architect Design Manager, Electrical Project Manager, Commissioning Project Manager, Controls PM, Facility Operations Director, Project Executive (Owner’s Rep), and other critical-facilities positions across multiple U.S. locations (examples include Pittsburgh, PA; New Albany, OH; Ashburn, VA; Charlotte, NC; Denver, CO; Naperville, IL). Many roles note remote, traveling, or multiple-city availability and relocation options where specified.
Background / details: This is a recurring/monthly jobs-posting series powered by Pkaza Critical Facilities Recruiting and the Data Center Frontier jobs board; listings emphasise employer needs for MEP/critical facilities design, commissioning, mission-critical power and cooling expertise, energy efficiency and LEED experience, and include travel/remote work options and multiple-site listings for several roles. No monetary values, contract amounts, or deal announcements are included.

Jun 3, 2026 · Google

Google’s water stewardship commitments for local communities

Google is announcing new water stewardship commitments to responsibly manage water at its data centers and to replenish more water than it consumes by 2030.

Main announcement: Google commits to replenish more water than it consumes at its sites by 2030, listing five specific commitments (replenishment ambition, infrastructure modernization, air-cooled solutions for at-risk watersheds, transparent annual reporting, and pursuing reclaimed water). In 2025 Google replenished more than 7 billion gallons, currently manages 165 water stewardship projects across 97 watersheds, and states that projects (once fully implemented) are expected to replenish more than 19 billion gallons annually by 2030. Google is also evaluating more than 700 projects submitted to its Water Replenishment RFI.
Background and implementation details: Google says it has committed over $500 million to water, wastewater and water reuse infrastructure to date and is announcing $17 million in support of new projects across seven U.S. states (Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas). Example partners/actions include Ducks Unlimited (wetlands enhancement, Flint River WMA), The Great Outdoors Foundation + Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (convert 5,000 acres to perennial systems), Huron River Watershed Council (expand green infrastructure), Trust for Public Land (restore 84 acres of floodplain forest), and local utility programs such as Metropolitan Utilities District’s leak detection; many projects are ongoing and repayment/implementation timelines target completion/increase in replenishment by 2030.

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