Data center construction, operations timeline shared

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

The long awaited announcement of who would own and operate a data center in Van Wert was made Friday morning. QTS Data Centers, which is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, was named as the end user of the $10 billion, 500 megawatt data center at the Mega Site (see story here).

Now, more information has been shared, including an approximate timeline for the project.

The Van Wert data center campus will have up to seven buildings on 902 acres of land at the Mega Site, according to Katie Erwin, QTS Senior Director of Communications. She also noted groundbreaking is expected in the fourth quarter of this year, but it’s going to be a while before the data center is operational.

“Project timelines are subject to a number of factors, including permitting, utility coordination and overall development progress,” Erwin explained. “Based on our current planning we anticipate the first building on the Van Wert campus becoming operational in the first quarter of 2029. The full campus is expected to be developed in phases, with full buildout and operations projected around 2032.”

Erwin also addressed two of the main concerns about the data center – power and water usage.

“QTS will fund 100 percent of energy infrastructure improvements in partnership with American Electric Power at no cost to ratepayers,” she stated. “The campus will use a closed-loop system that consumes no water for cooling, saving billions of gallons of water annually.”

The closed loop system will require QTS to purchase appromixately 660,000 gallons of water from the city.

Erwin was asked what made Van Wert and the Mega Site attractive to QTS.

“QTS evaluates a range of factors when selecting sites, including access to power, connectivity, a skilled workforce and existing infrastructure,” she said. “Van Wert offers these foundational elements, which helps support efficient, well-aligned development with the surrounding community and environment.Van Wert has also demonstrated a strong interest in attracting new investment and supporting industries that bring long-term benefits to the community.”

“Local leadership has expressed a commitment to responsible development and the region has a workforce that can benefit from new jobs and associated economic activity,” she added.

QTS currently has two other data centers under construction in Ohio, both in New Albany. Overall, the company has over 90 data centers in 15 states that are operational or under construction. QTS also has five European data centers.