Permits move forward in Grayslake, Limerick and Wisconsin Rapids while power agreements, rate cases and local rules reshape projects across six states.
Grayslake issued the initial building permit on September 1 for the first structure at the T5 Chicago IV campus. Site work for the first approximately 800,000-square-foot building can begin while a separate lawsuit challenging the earlier approvals remains pending.
Why it matters
The first building has moved from an approved campus plan into an executable construction phase. The permit is a stronger delivery signal than another announcement, although the court challenge remains a live entitlement risk.
Watch next
Visible site mobilization and foundation work · later building permits · utility and wetland approvals · the next court status hearing
ComEd and Monarch Rock Air terminated the transmission service agreement that had supported the proposed Rockford campus. Monarch told local media the change will delay rather than end the project, but the company now needs a revised route to large-scale electric service.
Why it matters
A state incentive agreement and data-center-compatible zoning do not substitute for a workable power agreement. The cancellation materially lowers near-term deliverability without proving that the campus itself is dead.
Watch next
A replacement ComEd study or service agreement · revised energization schedule · a formal Rockford site plan · tenant and on-site-generation details
Public comment on Xcel Energy's electric service agreement with Google subsidiary Echo Zone closed September 8. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission says it will next hold a public meeting to deliberate and decide on the agreement.
Why it matters
The service agreement is a direct power-readiness gate for the Pine Island campus. A Commission order will clarify whether the commercial and ratepayer protections are sufficient for the project's proposed load.
Watch next
Commission meeting date and order · any revised agreement terms · transmission-route permitting · the project's temporary restraining order and related litigation
Upper Burrell approved building work and an August land-development plan for TECfusions Building J despite a moratorium on new data-center applications. Building J is now partly operational, while residents and Protect PT pursue a land-use appeal challenging the approval path.
Why it matters
This is not a simple proposed-versus-cancelled story: existing compute has gone live, permitted upgrades can continue and the much larger campus expansion still faces new rules and litigation. Those tracks need to be watched separately.
Watch next
Court of Common Pleas appeal · final township data-center ordinance · additional building or power permits · disclosure of the operating tenant and expansion sequence
Limerick Township listed a September 8 continuation for MCD 7's eight-building campus and separate pending applications for Phase 1 and Phase 2. Phase 1 covers one approximately 300,000-square-foot building; Phase 2 covers the remaining seven buildings and major electrical infrastructure.
Why it matters
The phase-specific filings turn a broad 191-acre concept into measurable approval and procurement steps. They expose the first building, generator and chiller counts, substation scope and later-campus sequence without assuming construction is approved.
Watch next
Published outcome of the September 8 continuation · hearing dates for CU 26-05 and CU 26-06 · switching-station review · public water, sewer and road-relocation conditions
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission voted 3-1 on September 2 to reconsider AES Indiana's rate decision and reopen the record around Google's Monrovia data center and BlackRock's pending acquisition of the utility's parent. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 17.
Why it matters
The order does not stop construction, but it reopens scrutiny of how a very large new load and related utility investment affect ordinary customers. That makes the rate case a live financial and power-delivery signal for Project Louie.
Watch next
September 17 procedural schedule · the separate Google investment and service case · revised cost-allocation protections · construction and energization milestones
Wisconsin Rapids will hold a September 16 public hearing on DC Rapids LLC's conditional-use application for a data center at 950 Fourth Avenue North. The Planning Commission will also consider the site plan and make a recommendation to the Common Council.
Why it matters
The former paper-mill redevelopment now has a dated local decision path instead of only a developer proposal. The hearing will test whether the project can move through the city's new data-center rules and into council review.
Watch next
September 13 developer open house · September 16 Planning Commission action · Common Council review · permit conditions, power plan and construction phasing
On September 1, Zeeland Charter Township unanimously repealed its earlier pause and adopted a replacement one-year moratorium covering data centers and energy facilities. Township officials say no data-center applicant is currently pending.
Why it matters
The action is a jurisdiction-readiness signal, not evidence of a secret project. It gives the township time to update its master plan and permanent rules before facing a live application.
Watch next
Master-plan amendments · permanent data-center standards · any application filed after the pause · the moratorium's interaction with state energy-siting law