The Daily Dig
Google confirmed it is the developer behind a proposed data center campus in Hermantown, Minnesota, a suburb of Duluth. The project sits on a 403-acre site bounded by Morris Thomas Road to the north, Midway Road to the east, and Solway Road to the west. Hermantown City Council approved a zoning change for the development on October 20, 2025.
Site plans call for up to four data center buildings totaling roughly 1.8 million square feet, with construction expected to take five to ten years. Mortenson previously pulled its special use permit application to review potential project changes and hold a community open house before resubmitting. Google has also executed an electric service agreement with Minnesota Power covering 700MW of clean energy resources, including 300MW of wind and 400MW of battery storage, with Google funding the required infrastructure. Projected power demand for the data center has not been disclosed.
Project Snapshot:
Company: Google
Project: Hermantown Data Center Campus
Location: Hermantown, Minnesota (near Duluth)
Site Size: 403 acres
Site Boundaries: Morris Thomas Road (north), Midway Road (east), Solway Road (west)
Planned Buildings: Up to four data center facilities (~1.8 million sq ft total)
Developer / Builder: Mortenson
Utility Partner: Minnesota Power
Energy Agreement: 700MW clean energy development
Wind Capacity: 300MW
Battery Storage Capacity: 400MW
Infrastructure Funding: Google
Power Demand: Not disclosed
Local Approval: Hermantown City Council zoning approval, October 20, 2025
Estimated Buildout: 5-10 years
Project Status: On hold pending active litigation
TheJobWalk Thoughts
A four building hyperscale campus does not get built in one shot. Projects like this move in phases, and that phasing creates repeated procurement cycles across site work, utilities, structural, and MEP over many years. The contractors who win early work and stay engaged through each phase tend to capture far more than those who bid once and move on. The 700MW energy agreement with Minnesota Power is its own animal entirely, with grid interconnects, battery storage, and wind infrastructure running on separate scopes and separate timelines from the campus itself. For GCs, subs, and suppliers, knowing which procurement channels serve the campus versus the energy build, and when each phase is likely to move, is what separates the contractors who win work from the ones who find out after award.
