Google wants to expand its Nebraska footprint by adding 187 acres that would border its data center which is already being constructed in northwest Omaha.
If Google acquires these additional 187 acres, it will control a total of 460 acres of land northwest of State Street and Blair High Road, reports Nebraska Examiner. The data center would include multiple buildings totaling more than 2.2 million square feet, with various equipment yards and parking areas throughout the site. There would also be a security entrance and an Omaha Public Power District switchyard on site.
Construction is underway on the nearly 460 acres of land in the southeast portion. Google has not said much in the past about its plans to build a data center in Nebraska, however, last April, it announced that they were going to build a new data center at State Street and Blair High Road. The project site was supposed to be smaller, about 260 acres. The company also said that its investment in Nebraska would reach $750 million by 2022.
When Google added the Council Bluffs data center to the Papillion and northwest Omaha projects, the representatives said that the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area would have the largest Google operational presence in the country.
Google entered Nebraska in October of 2019 when it finally broke ground with its $600 million data center in Papillion. Not only will this installation provide countless employment opportunities for computer technicians, engineers and more; but it is also estimated to contribute over $2m towards the education system through donations to Nebraska schools and nonprofits.
The news that Google is expanding its operations in Omaha comes a few weeks after it indefinitely postponed the construction of a $600 million data center in Beck, Minnesota.
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