Google Wins Approval for Hermantown Data Center After Protests

Google has secured unanimous city council approval for a proposed data center in Hermantown, Minnesota, on Friday, October 30, after at least two postponed meetings and hours of public opposition. The decision clears a major hurdle for the company. The project still faces lawsuits and a separate inquiry into its electricity supply.

Project scale and council vote

The development could cover just over 200 acres in a rural residential area outside Duluth, with three data center buildings spanning approximately 1.66 million square feet. Each building would still be larger than six football fields. The council approved a development agreement, a special use permit, and provisions for decommissioning the site if construction is abandoned or the facility eventually closes. The meeting was capped at 85 people, offered a livestream, and ended shortly before midnight, with some criticizing the attendance restriction.

Council member John Geisler said the decision concerned a local land use application rather than the wider debate over artificial intelligence or big technology companies.

Changes Google accepted

Google changed its initial plan from four buildings to three, capped their height at 33 feet, and agreed to monitor nearby private wells. The company also withdrew an earlier request for up to $80 million in property tax breaks. The revised arrangement is expected to generate about $3 million in annual property tax for the city, with a separate decommissioning agreement valued at $210 million in place.

Supporters point to those provisions as evidence that Google responded to local concerns. Opponents argue the changes did not address the important questions of whether such a colossal development belongs in the area.

Legal and power hurdles

Three lawsuits filed by The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and Stop the Hermantown Data Center challenge the city's zoning process and ownership of the land, and demand the project's environmental review. The project requires about 500 megawatts, comparable to the combined demands of homes in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, and Rochester, according to the Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota. Google still needs approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on power consumption, despite its agreement with Minnesota Power.

Google is also pursuing a separate data center project near Pine Island, close to Rochester, which is now subject to a more extensive environmental review following a legal settlement.

Other local data center disputes

The dispute echoes other data center battles within local communities. Alabama residents were unable to halt a 50MW Bitcoin mining facility in August, despite local moratoriums, exposing gaps in the state's zoning rules. In September, a proposal for a 1,300-acre data center in Pennsylvania by NorthPoint Development also faced resistance despite its developer offering $10,000 to thousands of nearby households. Key issues raised mostly by residents in both cases have been noise, water consumption, and property values.

Sources: Tom's Hardware