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Data center project · Linn County, Iowa

Google data center near Duane Arnold (Palo)

Proposed · Google's plan for up to six data centers beside the Duane Arnold nuclear plant moved from Linn County to the small city of Palo after the county set strict water rules.

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Status
Proposed · as of July 20, 2026
Location
Unincorporated Linn County just south of the Duane Arnold Energy Center, proposed for annexation into Palo · Linn County
Status note
No application or development agreement filed; Palo adopted a data center ordinance, and annexation would come first. Linn County's moratorium covers the site while it stays in the county.
Power
Not reported
No figure published; the county said up to six buildings were discussed.
Developer and team
Google
End user
Google
Utility
Power from the planned Duane Arnold nuclear restart (NextEra), under Google's 25-year purchase agreement
Water
Google offered to fund a county water study, which stopped when Google turned to Palo
Evidence
Primary public records
Size class
Under 50 MW (outside main scope; kept for completeness)
Map position approximate, from the reported address or area. Updated Oct. 17, 2026.

Updates, newest first

  1. July 20, 2026 Palo adopted the ordinance; the mayor said the city would consider annexation only if Google or the county asks. (Iowa Public Radio, July 21, 2026)
  2. July 13, 2026 Palo City Council approved the second reading of its data center zoning ordinance 4-1 before a crowd mostly opposed to the project. (Corridor Business Journal, July 14, 2026; KCRG, July 14, 2026)
  3. July 1, 2026 Linn County supervisors voted 2-1 for an 18-month pause on new EU-3 rezoning applications, and asked staff to study allowing data centers as accessories to the nuclear plant. (KCRG, July 1, 2026; Iowa Public Radio, July 21, 2026)
  4. June 18, 2026 The Iowa Utilities Commission granted NextEra a generating certificate to restart the 615 MW Duane Arnold plant; federal approvals are still pending. (Corridor Business Journal, June 18, 2026)
  5. April 17, 2026 County records showed Google had offered $1 million per building per year and the county asked for more than $3 million per building. (KCRG, April 17, 2026)
  6. April 14, 2026 Records obtained by KCRG showed Google and Palo officials met on Jan. 28 and that Google had been paying the city's legal costs since December. (KCRG, April 14, 2026)
  7. March 4, 2026 County supervisors said Google would seek annexation into Palo instead of working under county rules. (KWWL, March 4, 2026)
  8. Feb. 18, 2026 Linn County adopted its data center ordinance, creating an EU-3 large-scale data center zoning district; a supervisor said a project would need an independent study of the resources it would use. (Linn County, Iowa, July 21, 2026; Corridor Business Journal, July 14, 2026; KWWL, March 4, 2026)
  9. Oct. 6, 2025 Linn County supervisors disclosed Google's interest in building up to six data centers near the plant; the county called it the first data center it had considered. (DatacenterDynamics, Oct. 7, 2025; Linn County, Iowa, July 21, 2026)

Conflicts and open questions

  • The final Palo vote date is inferred from IPR's report that the ordinance passed "Monday night" before its July 21 story.
  • Broadband Breakfast reported on Sept. 15, 2026 that the U.S. Energy Department announced a nearly $2 billion loan for the restart; the loan record itself has not been pulled.

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