Google and Xcel Energy have officially backed off a deal to bring a data center to Sherburne County—and the possibility of thousands of construction jobs with it.
The energy company notified state regulators that the deal had fallen apart because of missed deadlines by Google. The site was part of a development Xcel is undertaking in the city of Becker, about 50 miles northwest of the Twin Cities. The data center would have employed about 50 people full-time, but the construction could have created as many as 2,000 temporary jobs.
In a statement to WCCO, Xcel executives said: “We’re disappointed that the project is not moving forward at this time, but we continue to work with companies interested in the sites and remain committed to partnering with the City of Becker to grow jobs and capital investment in central Minnesota.”
