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Data center project · Woodbury County, Iowa

Google data center proposal (Salix)

Proposed · A 900-acre site that Salix annexed for a MidAmerican-led project, with Google named as the prospective user, has drawn months of protests; the council agreed only to study it.

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Status
Proposed · as of Oct. 14, 2026
Location
About 900 acres of farmland annexed into Salix · Woodbury County
Status note
Council approved a study agreement, not the project; the land would still need rezoning from agricultural to industrial. Annexation challenges are pending in court (reported).
Power
Not reported
No figure published.
Land
900 acres
Developer and team
Google
End user
Google
Utility
MidAmerican Energy, which brought the site forward
Water
Google told the council it will not use Dakota aquifer water for cooling
Evidence
News reports; primary records not yet obtained
Size class
50 MW or more (tracker scope)
Map position approximate, from the reported address or area. Updated Oct. 17, 2026.

Updates, newest first

  1. Oct. 14, 2026 The council approved, 3-2, a $150,000 memorandum of understanding with Google to study the proposal; Google described six site studies and promised monthly updates. (KTIV, Oct. 15, 2026)
  2. Aug. 20, 2026 The council voted 3-2 against a one-year moratorium after a meeting postponed because officials received threats. (Iowa Public Radio, Aug. 21, 2026)
  3. Aug. 2026 Google was identified as the prospective customer in early August. (Iowa Public Radio, Aug. 21, 2026)
  4. July 18, 2026 Residents protested outside City Hall against the proposal. (KTIV, July 18, 2026)
  5. April 2026 Salix annexed about 900 acres of farmland for a potential data center. (Iowa Public Radio, Aug. 21, 2026)

Conflicts and open questions

  • Woodbury County's 12-month moratorium covers unincorporated land only; the site was annexed into the city before it passed.
  • Court challenges to the annexation by the county and by residents are described by a legal-advocacy site (suedatacenters.org); court records not yet pulled.

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