Data Center Census

Van Buren Township, Wayne County, MI

Project Cannoli

Also known as Google Van Buren Township data center

ApprovedTownship site plan and tax abatement approvals granted in 2026; DTE power contracts under contested-case review at the Michigan PSC
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

Panattoni Development is building out a 1 GW data center campus for Google on about 282 acres north of I-94 between Haggerty Road and I-275 in Van Buren Township. The Planning Commission granted preliminary site plan approval 5-2 in February 2026, Google was confirmed as the user in March, and township officials approved a substation site plan and a roughly $125 million local tax break in May. DTE Energy's power contracts for the site are before the Michigan Public Service Commission in a contested case.

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity1 GW [1]
maximum load
Site size282 acres [2]
130 acres to remain undeveloped
Floor area800,000 sq ft [2]
Buildings3 [2]
two air-cooled, one water-cooled
Permanent jobs (promised)51 [4]
minimum commitment
Target completionLoad starting December 2027; maximum load December 2028 [1]

Power

UtilityDTE Energy [1]
Power supplyDTE grid; Google-backed 1.6 GW of renewables and up to 480 MW of storage under 20-year contracts [6]
Utility commission caseMPSC Case U-22058 [9]
Source excerpt
“The two contracts proposed by DTE to service the 1-gigawatt Google AI data center, a primary supply agreement (PDF) and clean capacity accelerator agreement (PDF), are subject to the Michigan Public Service Commission's Case U-22058”

Water

Water use3,600,000 gal/day [2]
stated as 2-3.6 million gallons per day
Water sourceGreat Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) system via a connection to the 42-inch GLWA main at Tyler and Haggerty roads [10]
Source excerpt
“The Project will connect to the GLWA system via meter pit and a water distribution main that will connect to the 42-inch Great Lakes Water Authority main at the Tyler Road and Haggerty Road intersection.”
Water permitTownship sanitary sewer to accept up to 1.15 cfs (0.75 mgd) of cooling tower blowdown in dry weather only, under a Sanitary Operations and Discharge Agreement; domestic sewer flow estimated at 50,000 gpd [10]
Source excerpt
“The Township will accept a maximum discharge rate of 1.15 cfs (0.75 mgd) of cooling tower blowdown during dry weather conditions only as defined in the Sanitary Operations and Discharge Agreement.”

Money & incentives

Tax incentives$125 million local tax break (50% reduction) [4]

Local decisions & site

ZoningM-1 district (data center and network service buildings permitted by right; no rezoning or variances required); office and security buildings in C-1 [10]
Source excerpt
“The data center and network service buildings are permitted uses under the M-1 zoning district where they will be located.”
Parcel / addressEast of Haggerty Road, north of the I-94 Service Drive, west of Hannan Road, and south of I-275 (developer PDC VBT, LLC) [10]
the agreement lists dozens of tax parcel IDs, e.g. 83-050-99-0005-000
Source excerpt
“located in the Township east of Haggerty Road, north of the I-94 Service Drive, west of Hannan Road, and south of I-275”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Timeline

  1. Planning Commission grants preliminary site plan approval 5-2 [3]

  2. Google and DTE Energy confirm Google as the company behind the project; Google commits to a contested case at the MPSC [5]

  3. Planning Commission approves site plan for substation/switching station [3]

  4. Board of Trustees meeting on the project; development agreement dated May 20 [1]

  5. Michigan Attorney General files brief opposing DTE's proposed 80% minimum billing demand [6]

Issues raised

  • Residents raised noise, utility use, and wildlife impacts; about 10 acres of wetlands would be filled [2][7]
  • A citizens' petition against the project drew over 1,800 signatures [4]
  • DTE says the contracts would bring about $1.7 billion in affordability benefits for existing customers; the Attorney General and environmental groups have challenged contract terms [6]

Sources

  1. Data Center FAQ
    Charter Township of Van Buren · 2026 · government
  2. Van Buren Township advances 1 GW 'Project Cannoli' data center: 'It's a big decision'
    Planet Detroit · Feb 12, 2026 · news
  3. Van Buren Township OKs Google data center substation
    Planet Detroit · May 14, 2026 · news
  4. Van Buren Twp officials dole out $125 million in tax breaks for Google data center
    The Midwesterner · May 22, 2026 · news
  5. Google and DTE announce Van Buren Township data center agreement, commit to contested case hearing
    Michigan Advance · Mar 17, 2026 · news
  6. DTE wants approval for Google data center power contracts: What's at stake with 1-gigawatt Van Buren Township project?
    Planet Detroit · Sep 9, 2026 · news
  7. Data center plan heads to Van Buren Township board despite community opposition
    WXYZ · Feb 12, 2026 · news
  8. Google confirmed as company behind Van Buren Township data center plan
    CBS Detroit · Mar 17, 2026 · news
  9. AG Nessel Files Testimony to Protect Ratepayers in Google Data Center Proposal
    Michigan Department of Attorney General · Jun 11, 2026 · government
  10. Development Agreement between PDC VBT, LLC and Charter Township of Van Buren
    Charter Township of Van Buren · May 20, 2026 · government