Hyperscale data center developer confirmed
Blue Owl Capital has been confirmed as the developer for a hyperscale data center project on the former Columbia Gorge Aluminum plant site in Klickitat County, Washington. The project requires extensive environmental cleanup and securing carbon-free power, with construction anticipated to begin in 2028-2029. The site, which is zoned for industrial use, benefits from grandfathered water rights and its proximity to major tech data center hubs.
Blue Owl Capital has been confirmed as the developer for a new hyperscale data center project in Klickitat County, Washington. The site, located eight miles southeast of Goldendale, is the former Columbia Gorge Aluminum plant, which has been vacant since 2003 and requires extensive environmental remediation due to contaminated soil.
NSC Smelter, LLC, the current owner, and Lockheed Martin, a previous operator, are working with Washington's Department of Ecology on a corrective action plan and are awaiting a prospective purchaser consent decree. Construction is projected to start between 2028 and 2029, contingent on the completion of the environmental cleanup. The data center is expected to require 958 megawatts of power, and developers must source carbon-free electricity under Washington's Clean Energy Transformation Act. Although adjacent to the proposed Goldendale Energy Storage Project, there is no commercial relationship between the two. The location offers advantages like an industrial park zoning where data centers are outright permitted, a dry climate, and grandfathered water rights from Klickitat Public Utility District, with the project planning to use air-cooled systems.