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Construction is well underway on a massive $15 billion data center campus located just north of downtown Port Washington, Wisconsin, near Interstate 43. The ambitious project, spearheaded by Vantage Data Centers for Oracle and OpenAI, represents one of the largest developments of its kind in the region.
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Steel beams are scheduled to arrive on-site next week, marking a significant milestone in the construction process. The initial campus will encompass 700 acres and feature four buildings, all being constructed simultaneously. Once operational, the facility is expected to provide 1,000 permanent jobs split between Oracle and OpenAI, with potential expansions increasing the campus size to approximately 2,000 acres.
Edwin Van Velzen, senior vice president for construction at Vantage Data Centers, emphasized the extraordinary scale of the project. "I use the word unprecedented because this is one of the biggest sites I've worked on so far", Van Velzen said. Currently, around 700 workers are on-site, with that number expected to rise to several thousand as construction progresses. "Today, it's like 700 (workers) because we're mainly still on the ground, but when the buildings arise, it will be a couple of thousand", he added.
Construction has been operating around the clock since breaking ground in mid-December, and cranes are already in place to assist with assembling the steel. Work on the concrete walls will commence shortly after the steel beams arrive.
While the data center promises to generate significant economic activity and create jobs, it has also sparked controversy among local residents. For over a year, public meetings have revealed concerns about the project's impact, ranging from construction traffic and property tax changes to dust from the former farmland site and potential increases in utility bills. Additionally, the expansion of the local power grid to meet the center's energy requirements has raised questions about its effect on residents.
The development has also faced legal challenges related to the tax increment district (TID) funding its infrastructure and disputes over the city’s approval process. Despite these hurdles, the developers say they are committed to addressing community concerns. "Yeah, I'm glad you're concerned, because we're concerned. We want to be a good neighbor", said Van Velzen.
Vantage Data Centers has taken steps to engage with the local community, including hiring Port Washington residents like Kevin Chandler, the company's director of state and local public policy. "The project is already generating revenue and economic activity locally", Chandler stated. "That's only going to increase during the operations period."
The project has also drawn attention at the national level. In his State of the Union address on Wednesday, President Trump called on tech companies to fully fund the energy demands of their facilities. Discussions about how this would apply to the Port Washington project are ongoing with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.
As construction reaches new stages, the developers remain confident in the long-term benefits of the data center while continuing to address local concerns. With steel arriving soon and work ramping up, this project marks a transformative moment for Port Washington and the surrounding area.
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