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Data center campus · Southwest Hermantown, off Midway Road and Morris Thomas Road, next to Minnesota Power's Arrowhead substation, St. Louis County, Minnesota

Google Hermantown Data Center

Proposed as of Oct. 20, 2026

Google proposes a hyperscale campus of up to four buildings on the southwest edge of Hermantown, served by Minnesota Power, after a contested environmental review that has drawn two lawsuits. Also known as: Project Loon.

Cite← Minnesota data centers
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PowerNot statedNot reported in the records found
Floor area1.8e+06sq ft
Site278acres

Who is behind it

ProjectGoogle Hermantown Data CenterAlso: Project Loon
Developer and teamGoogle (through Harmony Group, LLC)
Mortenson Development
End userGoogle

The record, newest first

  1. The Planning and Zoning Commission held its public hearing on the special use permit and sent a recommendation to the council, which makes the final decision. (FOX 21 (KQDS), Oct. 20, 2026; City of Hermantown, Oct. 14, 2026)

  2. The council unanimously approved the environmental review for Minnesota Power's 230 kV line to the site, after the line was rerouted away from shoreland areas. (Northern News Now, Oct. 19, 2026)

  3. The city said Google would not seek a tax abatement. It scheduled the special use permit and plat for an Oct. 20 planning commission hearing and a council special meeting on Oct. 26. (KAXE, Oct. 15, 2026; City of Hermantown, Oct. 14, 2026)

  4. The council unanimously adopted the updated AUAR. A vote on the environmental review for Minnesota Power's transmission line to the site was postponed. (Northern News Now, Oct. 5, 2026; Northern News Now, Oct. 8, 2026; Minnesota Trout Unlimited, Oct. 15, 2026)

  5. Harmony Group applied for a special use permit covering up to three data center buildings, an office building, stormwater facilities, parking and access drives. (FOX 21 (KQDS), Oct. 20, 2026)

  6. The city opened comment on the draft updated AUAR and mitigation plan, covering 26 parcels of about 278 acres, smaller than the 2025 study area. (City of Hermantown, June 12, 2026; City of Hermantown, June 12, 2026)

  7. After hours of public comment, the council unanimously tabled the tax abatement and development agreements until the updated AUAR is done. (MPR News, May 5, 2026; KAXE, May 20, 2026)

  8. Stop the Hermantown Data Center filed a second suit in St. Louis County District Court. It argues the comprehensive plan change and rezoning were improper and that three closed meetings broke the open meeting law. (MPR News, April 29, 2026)

  9. Minnesota Power filed an electric service agreement with Harmony Group, LLC, a Google subsidiary, with the PUC (docket 26-159); comments ran to Aug. 28, 2026. (Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Sept. 1, 2026)

  10. The city identified Google as the owner. Minnesota Power said its electric service agreement with Google would add 700 MW of wind and battery storage. (KAXE, March 3, 2026)

  11. Mortenson asked the city to pull the project's permits from upcoming agendas and said it would hold a public open house first. (KAXE, Nov. 17, 2025)

  12. MCEA and the group Stop the Hermantown Data Center sued the city and Harmony Group, LLC in St. Louis County District Court (No. 69DU-CV-25-3448). The suit argues the AUAR was inadequate because it treated the project as light industrial rather than a data center, and asks for a new review. (Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Nov. 5, 2025; KAXE, Nov. 5, 2025; Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, May 15, 2026)

  13. The Hermantown City Council approved rezoning for the project area. The AUAR adopted earlier in October 2025 described the project as light industrial development. (KAXE, Nov. 5, 2025; Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Nov. 5, 2025; City of Hermantown, June 12, 2026)

  14. The city turned down a citizen petition for an Environmental Assessment Worksheet, saying the AUAR already met the review requirement. (Northern News Now, Dec. 5, 2025)

Conflicts and open questions

  • Acreage varies by source: about 400-420 acres in the 2025 study, 278 acres in the city's 2026 updated AUAR (used here), about 200 acres per MPR (Apr. 2026), and about 126 acres to become impervious surface per MNTU.
  • Building area: 1.8 million sq ft in 2025-26 reporting; MNTU gives 1.66 million sq ft after the updated AUAR. Building count: up to four (MPR, KAXE) vs. up to three data center buildings in the special use permit (FOX 21). KAXE described four phases, MPR three.
  • The first lawsuit was paused by agreement while the AUAR was updated (MCEA, May 2026); KAXE (Oct. 15, 2026) describes the suits as ongoing. MNTU says the Oct. 5, 2026 AUAR can be appealed to district court within 30 days. No ruling in either case was found.
  • The planning commission's Oct. 20 recommendation and the PUC decision on docket 26-159 were not found.
  • Coordinates approximate, near the Arrowhead substation in southwest Hermantown.

The full record

Status note
The council adopted an updated AUAR on Oct. 5, 2026 and approved the environmental review for Minnesota Power's transmission line on Oct. 19. Google dropped its tax abatement request; the planning commission held a hearing on the special use permit and plat Oct. 20, and a council vote is set for Oct. 26, 2026.
Power note
No load figure for the data center appears in the sources reviewed. Minnesota Power says its service deal with Google brings 700 MW of new clean resources (300 MW wind, 400 MW battery storage); that is supply, not the campus load.
Evidence
Primary public records
Size class
50 MW or more (tracker scope)
Map position approximate, from the reported address or area. Updated Oct. 17, 2026.