Google data center vote postponed in Hermantown following two hours of protests
The Hermantown City Council postponed votes on final local approval for Google’s proposed 1.7-million-square-foot data center after hundreds of opponents protested and disrupted the meeting. The project faces lawsuits and concerns about environmental impacts, water, noise, property values and its projected 500-megawatt electricity demand.
The Hermantown City Council postponed a series of votes on Google’s proposed data center after roughly two hours of chanting and protests at a Monday meeting. Hundreds of people attended, with opponents citing environmental concerns and dissatisfaction with what they viewed as a secretive development process; city officials said they delayed the meeting because they could not ensure a safe event. A new meeting was planned for the following evening.
Google’s proposed campus would cover about 1.7 million square feet, with the first phase estimated at $650 million and projected to generate millions of dollars in annual tax revenue for Hermantown and St. Louis County. The company has agreed to monitor groundwater, address potential impacts to private wells, fund wind turbines and battery storage, and pay for its electricity costs. Opponents including Stop the Hermantown Data Center and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy have filed lawsuits challenging the proposal, while the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission still must review Google’s electric supply agreement with Minnesota Power.