Land and Expand: CleanArc Data Centers, Google, Duke Energy, Aligned's ODATA, Fermi America

Land and Expand is a monthly feature at Data Center Frontier highlighting the latest data center development news, including new sites, land acquisitions and campus expansions. Here are some of the new and notable developments from hyperscale and colocation data center operators about which we’ve been reading lately.

Caroline County, VA, Approves 650-Acre Data Center Campus from CleanArc

Caroline County, Virginia, has approved redevelopment of the former Virginia Bazaar property in Ruther Glen into a 650-acre data center campus in partnership with CleanArc Data Centers Operating, LLC. On September 9, 2025, the Caroline County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an economic development performance agreement with CleanArc to transform the long-vacant flea market site just off I-95.

The agreement allows for the phased construction of three initial data center buildings, each measuring roughly 500,000 square feet, which CleanArc plans to lease to major operators. The project represents one of the county’s largest-ever private investments. While CleanArc has not released a final capital cost, county filings suggest the development could reach into the multi-billion-dollar range over its full buildout.

Key provisions include:

• Local hiring: At least 50 permanent jobs at no less than 150% of the prevailing county wage.

• Revenue sharing: Caroline County will provide annual incentive grants equal to 25% of incremental tax revenue generated by the campus.

• Water stewardship: CleanArc is prohibited from using potable county water for data center cooling, requiring the developer to pursue alternative technologies such as non-potable sources, recycled water, or advanced liquid cooling systems.

Local officials have emphasized the deal’s importance for diversifying the county’s tax base, while community observers will be watching closely to see which cooling strategies CleanArc adopts in order to comply with the water-use restrictions.

Google to Build $10 Billion Data Center Campus in Arkansas

Moses Tucker Partners, one of Arkansas’ largest commercial real estate firms, has confirmed what it calls the largest private capital investment in the state’s history: a Google data center campus in West Memphis valued at roughly $10 billion. The project spans 1,178 acres along the Mississippi River, directly across from Memphis, Tennessee, and will include multiple large-scale data center buildings and the infrastructure required to support them.

The development is being cast as the first cornerstone of the “Digital Delta,” a nine-county, three-state region (Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi) that local officials hope to position as a rising hub for logistics, infrastructure, and technology. “The positive ripple effects of the investment will be felt for decades to come,” said Chris Moses, CEO of Moses Tucker Partners, crediting collaboration between landowners, civic leaders, and Google for bringing the project to fruition.

On the energy side, Louisiana-based Entergy has filed with regulators for approvals tied to the project. Plans include up to 600 MW of new solar generation paired with 350 MW of backup energy and storage, along with transmission upgrades designed specifically to serve the Google campus. The utility has said the new resources will be structured to meet Google’s long-term renewable energy commitments while supporting the grid’s reliability.

Context: Google’s Arkansas campus joins a select group of multi-billion-dollar mega-campuses the company has undertaken in recent years, including long-standing hubs in Iowa and North Carolina, its rapidly expanding cloud regions in Ohio, and large-scale Texas projects. At ~$10 billion, West Memphis represents one of Google’s single largest state-level investments to date, signaling both the company’s continued hyperscale expansion and the emergence of the mid-South as an AI and cloud infrastructure corridor.

Duke Energy Prepares for Large-Load Data Centers in Florida

In a recent filing with the Florida Public Service Commission, Duke Energy Florida (DEF) outlined a proposal to prepare for the potential arrival of hyperscale data centers in its service territory. At present, DEF does not have any large-load data center customers, but the utility emphasized the need to establish rate structures and contracts in advance of development.

“DEF must be proactive and prepared with the rates and contract structures in place when and if data centers seek to locate in Florida and in DEF’s territory,” the filing states. “Creating a protective framework on the front-end sets DEF up for success and protects customers from day one.”

The proposal would create a new tariff class specifically for large-load data center customers, insulating residential and small business ratepayers from potential cross-subsidization of grid upgrades. While Duke has not identified any current hyperscale projects in its Florida territory, the move signals that the utility is positioning itself for the state’s growing interest in attracting digital infrastructure investment.

Context: Florida has historically lagged Northern Virginia, Texas, and other Sun Belt markets for hyperscale development, in part due to power costs and hurricane resiliency concerns. However, interest has been increasing, particularly around the I-4 corridor (Orlando–Tampa) and Jacksonville, as AI and cloud demand pushes operators to diversify locations. Duke’s filing suggests utilities in the region are moving to get ahead of the curve before major site announcements are made.

Aligned Data Centers’ ODATA Secures $1 Billion in Green Financing for Latin America Expansion

ODATA, the Latin American subsidiary of Aligned Data Centers, has secured a landmark $1.02 billion green financing package, the largest of its kind to date for the region’s data center sector. The funding will support development projects in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia.

Rafael Bomeny, CFO of ODATA, called the deal “a historic achievement” that provides a solid financial foundation for growth:

“With these high-quality resources, we’re incredibly well-positioned to empower our customers in their digital infrastructure expansion across the region.”

The financing is tied to stringent sustainability commitments, with investments earmarked for:

• Environmentally conscious construction practices.
• Operational efficiency optimization across facilities.
• Sourcing renewable energy resources to meet future demand.

ODATA already holds the distinction of being the first Latin American data center operator to deliver facilities powered by 100% renewable energy in Brazil.

Comparison Note: This green financing milestone is not only the largest in Latin America but also competitive with recent large-scale sustainability-linked financings in North America and Europe. For example, Digital Realty secured $1.35 billion in green bonds in 2022 for its global portfolio. ODATA’s $1.02 billion deal signals that Latin America is catching up to top-tier global standards in sustainable data center financing—a shift that underscores the region’s rising importance in the digital infrastructure map.

College Station, Texas, Proposed as Site for Mega-Data Center Campus

College Station, Texas, home to the main campus of Texas A&M University, has been proposed as the site for a new 200-acre data center campus by Priority Power Management, LLC. According to local news reports, the development could include one or more dual two-story data center buildings totaling up to 600 MW of IT load.

The College Station City Council is scheduled to review the proposal, with early community discussions highlighting several potential challenges:

• Water usage for cooling and operations.
• Noise and traffic impacts during construction and operation.
• Preservation of greenbelt areas.

Potential benefits cited by the developer and city officials include approximately 2,000 construction jobs during the build-out and 45 permanent positions once the campus becomes operational.

Context: College Station joins other Texas markets such as Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Bryan/College Station in attracting hyperscale and enterprise data center projects. While the permanent employment footprint is relatively small compared with IT load, Texas continues to be a magnet for large-scale data centers due to its energy availability, favorable climate for low-cost cooling, and supportive local incentives.

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry Leads Fermi America Toward 11 GW HyperGrid AI Campus

Developer Fermi America, co-founded by former Texas Governor and U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, has filed for an initial public offering in the United States, following a $100 million funding round in August 2025. The IPO is a key step in raising capital for the company’s ambitious HyperGrid AI campus, projected to deliver up to 11 GW of IT capacity across a sprawling ~5,800-acre site in West Texas.

The project is being developed in partnership with the Texas Tech University System and is expected to include approximately 18 million square feet of data center space. Initial on-site power is slated to come online in 2026 via six Siemens SGT-800 gas turbines paired with an SST-600 steam turbine, producing roughly 478 MW.

Longer-term plans include the integration of nuclear power—potentially including small modular reactors (SMRs)—with support from South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility, a leading nuclear component supplier. Interim power needs will be met with additional gas-fired assets.

Fermi has emphasized that the HyperGrid will operate as a self-contained microgrid, supplying its own power without negatively impacting the broader Texas electric grid.

Context: If realized, HyperGrid would rank among the largest single-site AI/data center developments globally, surpassing most hyperscale campuses in scale and on-site generation. The project represents a convergence of private capital, advanced energy technology, and university partnership to meet the growing demands of AI compute.

Hermiston, Oregon, Annexes 800 Acres to Attract Additional Data Centers

While Amazon’s first data centers in Hermiston remain under construction, the City Council has approved annexing 800 acres of land to encourage further data center development. The newly acquired property has been designated for “hyperscale data center” use, streamlining zoning and permitting for future operators.

City officials emphasized that the land was previously set aside for agriculture but has remained largely vacant, contributing no significant employment growth over the past century. A city-commissioned audit projects that the technology and data center sector could generate up to 1,500 jobs over the next 20 years, alongside substantial long-term tax revenue.

Context: Hermiston is positioning itself as an emerging Pacific Northwest data center hub, following the model of nearby Prineville and Boardman. Local officials see early land acquisition and pre-zoning as a way to attract hyperscale operators ahead of regional competition while mitigating community concerns about water use, power reliability, and land management.

At Data Center Frontier, we talk the industry talk and walk the industry walk. In that spirit, DCF Staff members may occasionally use AI tools to assist with content. Elements of this article were created with help from OpenAI's GPT5.

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