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Minnesota Data Center Intel
Latest data center news, projects, power and policy across Minnesota — updated daily.
Recent Minnesota data center news
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Google and Xcel Energy to Deploy 300MW / 30GWh Form Iron-Air Battery in Minnesota
Google and Xcel Energy have announced a definitive agreement to deploy a 300MW / 30GWh Form Energy iron-air battery system in Pine Island, Minnesota.
- Main announcement: Google and Xcel Energy will deploy a 300MW / 30GWh iron-air battery (Form Energy technology) to support a new Google data centre in Pine Island, Minnesota; the package also includes 1,400 MW of new wind, 200 MW of new solar, and Google will make a USD 50 million investment into Xcel’s Capacity*Connect programme. The Electric Service Agreement will be submitted to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for approval in the coming weeks.
- Background and project details: Industry sources describe the deal as a USD 1 billion commitment by Google to Form Energy; batteries will be manufactured at Form Factory 1 in Weirton, West Virginia (scaling toward 500MW annual production capacity by 2028) and the facility is eligible for up to USD 150 million in federal support; Form Energy previously raised USD 405 million in Series F (2024).
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$12B Amazon data center build will rely on surplus water
Amazon has announced a $12 billion multi-site data center campus across Caddo and Bossier Parishes in Louisiana.
- Project scope & funding: Amazon will invest $12 billion to develop interconnected campuses in Caddo and Bossier Parishes, including $400 million allocated for local water infrastructure (using only verified surplus water) and a $250,000 community fund for STEM and local projects. Construction is expected to start in the coming weeks; STACK Infrastructure will lead development and Southwestern Electric Power Company will be the local utility partner with Amazon paying 100% of new energy infrastructure expenses.
- Context & related projects: The announcement follows other multibillion-dollar data center projects in Louisiana, including Jacobs starting phase one of a $10 billion Hut 8 project (Hut 8 expects operations to begin Q2 2027) and a $10 billion Meta data center near Monroe being built by Turner, DPR and Mortenson. The article is an announcement summarizing Amazon’s commitment and situating it within recent regional data center investments.
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Google: Minnesota data centre energy deal includes 30GWh ‘multi-day’ iron-air batteries from Form Energy
Xcel Energy and Google have announced an agreement to deploy Form Energy iron-air batteries to power a new Google data centre in Pine Island, Minnesota.
Main announcement: Xcel Energy will install a 300 MW / 30 GWh Form Energy iron‑air battery system at Google’s Pine Island, Minnesota data centre; the parties say Google will cover all new infrastructure costs and the Electric Service Agreement (ESA) will be submitted to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) for review in the next few weeks. The deal also includes adding 1,900 MW of renewables to the grid (CEAC supporting 1,400 MW wind + 200 MW solar) and a US$50 million investment in Xcel’s Capacity*Connect Programme.
Background and implementation details: Form Energy says batteries will be manufactured at Form Factory 1 (Weirton, West Virginia), with FF1 on track to reach 500 MW/year by 2028; Form previously raised US$405 million (Series F) in 2024 and FF1 received up to US$150 million from DOE programmes announced in September 2024. Xcel notes a prior 1 GWh Form Energy project was approved by Minnesota regulators in 2023; the new 30 GWh system is described as the largest battery by energy capacity announced to date.
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Xcel and Google partner to add 1.9GW of clean energy to Minnesota grid
Google and Xcel Energy have announced a partnership to add 1.9GW of new clean energy capacity in Minnesota linked to a proposed Google data centre in Pine Island.
- Project details: The agreement covers 1.9GW total made up of 1.4GW wind, 200MW solar, and 300MW energy storage (300MW / 30 GWh iron-air battery by Form Energy); Google will finance its electricity use and required grid upgrades, and Xcel Energy states electric bills for current customers will not increase as a result. The deal is pending review by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.
- Background and commitments:Google will contribute $50m to Xcel Energy’s Capacity*Connect Programme to support grid reliability; the partnership is linked to the proposed Pine Island data centre and is described as supporting local economic activity and Minnesota’s clean energy objectives, moving Xcel beyond its current ~70% carbon-free electricity mix. No specific implementation timeline is provided in the article.
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INDA opens registration for FiltXPO 2026
INDA has opened registration for FiltXPO 2026, a global filtration technologies conference and exhibition.
- Event announcement:INDA has opened registration for FiltXPO 2026, scheduled for October 28–29, 2026 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States; the event is co-organized with the American Filtration and Separations Society (AFS).
- Program and training details: The Filter Media Training Course will precede the exhibition on October 26–27, 2026, offering a comprehensive technical overview of nonwoven materials in air and liquid filtration; conference topics listed include artificial intelligence in filtration and data centers, e-mobility and battery applications, nonwoven media for water filtration and PFAS mitigation, and sustainability in filtration systems and materials.
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Xcel–Google Pact Brings 1.9 GW of Clean Power, Iron-Air Battery to Minnesota
Xcel Energy has announced a partnership with Google to supply power to Google’s Pine Island data center and add 1,900 MW of new clean energy to the grid.
- Main announcement: Xcel Energy and Google will add 1,900 MW of new clean energy (supported by a Clean Energy Accelerator Charge (CEAC)) comprising 1,400 MW wind, 200 MW solar, and 300 MW long-duration energy storage, and Google will cover all new grid infrastructure costs; the Electric Service Agreement will be filed with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in the coming weeks. The agreement also includes a $50 million investment in Xcel Energy’s Capacity*Connect Program to strengthen grid reliability.
- Background and project details: The storage component includes a 300-MW (30-gigawatt-hour) iron-air battery from Form Energy (a 100-hour system, described as the largest battery project by GWh announced globally to date); Xcel reports its Minnesota mix is already 70% carbon-free and says residential bills remain below the national average. The agreement is presented as protecting existing customers from increased costs while enabling new large electricity loads.
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Google is coming to Minnesota and advancing clean energy goals
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.
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Intact’s Jeff Duca on Environmental Coverage
Jeff Duca of Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions spoke with Risk & Insurance in a published transcript on February 23, 2026 about state-driven environmental insurance challenges and emerging exposures (including data center water use and weather-driven pollution events).
- Main announcement/action:Jeff Duca (Intact) explains that environmental insurance must be customized state-by-state (“customize coverage in 50 different ways”), highlights emerging exposures from micro weather events (flash flooding, lightning, tank fires) and rising scrutiny of data center water use and discharge; Intact was a sponsor of the 2026 Environmental Power Broker winners and this content is an edited interview/transcript dated February 23, 2026.
- Background and details: Market dynamics include 40 to 50 environmental markets now offering coverage, tighter excess capacity requiring 5–8 carriers for towers or new quota share excess towers, longer renewal lead times (90–120 days recommended), and state/local variability in water discharge rules; contact provided: mediacontact@theinstitutes.org.
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Bois Forte Band Begins Construction on $20 Million Tribal Fiber Project
The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa has begun construction on a federally funded fiber-optic broadband project backed by a $20 million grant.
- Main announcement: The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa has begun construction on a fiber-to-the-home network funded by a $20 million grant awarded under the 2021 Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, targeting delivery of up to 10 Gbps service to over 2,097 largely-underserved Tribal households, businesses, and community anchor institutions; phased rollout of services is expected to continue into early 2026.
- Background and partners: The project is a multi-year effort constrained by permitting delays and rising costs (originally planned to serve nearly 3,000 locations), is being implemented in partnership with Minnesota Broadband Cooperative CTC for ISP services, leverages backbone fiber deployed by Northeast Service Cooperative (NESC), and was funded through the NTIA program created by the IIJA.
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The 50 States of Power Decarbonization: States and Utilities Navigate Large Load Customer Demand in 2025
The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) released its 2025 Annual Review and Q4 2025 edition of the 50 States of Power Decarbonization report.
- Report release & headline findings: The NCCETC released the 2025 annual review and Q4 2025 quarterly report, finding 49 states plus Puerto Rico took a total of 667 actions on electric power decarbonization and resource planning in 2025; 37 states took 104 actions related to large load customers. The report highlights top trends including new large-load tariffs, increased natural gas capacity additions, state-led procurement of energy storage, and consideration of advanced nuclear.
- Background & concrete details: The release documents integrated resource plan filings showing planned capacity additions of 144,405 MW solar, 125,016 MW natural gas, 58,581 MW storage, 58,381 MW wind, and 56,475 MW planned coal retirements in 2025; it notes 400 actions tracked in Q4 2025 plus more than 270 introduced bills, and calls out surging data center development driving large-load policy responses.