Project Cannoli
Van Buren Township, Wayne County, MIDeveloper: Panattoni Development
Also known as Google Van Buren Township data center
- Rumored
- Proposed
- Approved
- Under construction
- Operating
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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.
- Permanent jobs (promised)
- 51
- minimum commitment
- Water use
- 3,600,000 gal/day
- stated as 2-3.6 million gallons per day
Key facts
Size & schedule
| Planned capacity | 1 GW [1] maximum load |
|---|---|
| Site size | 282 acres [2] 130 acres to remain undeveloped |
| Floor area | 800,000 sq ft [2] |
| Buildings | 3 [2] two air-cooled, one water-cooled |
| Permanent jobs (promised) | 51 [4] minimum commitment |
| Target completion | Load starting December 2027; maximum load December 2028 [1] |
How big is that? Data center sizes compared with football fields and Central Park.
Power
| Utility | DTE Energy [1] Utility pages: DTE Electric · data centers and bills |
|---|---|
| Power supply | DTE grid; Google-backed 1.6 GW of renewables and up to 480 MW of storage under 20-year contracts [6] |
| Utility commission case | MPSC 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 use | 3,600,000 gal/day [2] stated as 2-3.6 million gallons per day |
|---|---|
| Water source | Great 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 permit | Township 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
| Zoning | M-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 / address | East 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.
Water and power
Water
Not disclosed. No source reviewed gives a water figure for this site. The Census does not estimate one.
Disclosed figures only, each as the cited source states it. Many are projections or permit limits, not metered use. How data center water and power use is measured, and every disclosed figure →
Timeline
Planet Detroit reports a developer pitching a 1-gigawatt data center for Van Buren Township. [2]
Planning Commission grants preliminary site plan approval 5-2 [3]
Google and DTE Energy confirm Google as the company behind the project; Google commits to a contested case at the MPSC [5]
Planning Commission approves site plan for substation/switching station [3]
Board of Trustees meeting on the project; development agreement dated May 20 [1]
Michigan Attorney General files brief opposing DTE's proposed 80% minimum billing demand [6]
Michigan Public Service Commission unanimously gives conditional approval to DTE Electric's 20-year special contracts to serve the Google campus, with protections including a minimum monthly billing demand and a termination payment [11]
Van Buren Township Planning Commission votes 5-1 to approve the final site plan; the report says Google is the final owner and operator and Panattoni is managing construction [13]
Michigan Attorney General petitions the Commission for rehearing of the contract approval, arguing the 20-year cost accounting could leave other customers subsidizing the data center in some years [12]
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]
Issues are concerns and claims raised by the parties, officials or residents named in the cited sources. They are reported as attributed, not as findings by the Census.
Sources
- Data Center FAQCharter Township of Van Buren · 2026 · government
- Van Buren Township advances 1 GW 'Project Cannoli' data center: 'It's a big decision'Planet Detroit · Feb 12, 2026 · news
- Van Buren Township OKs Google data center substationPlanet Detroit · May 14, 2026 · news
- Van Buren Twp officials dole out $125 million in tax breaks for Google data centerThe Midwesterner · May 22, 2026 · news
- Google and DTE announce Van Buren Township data center agreement, commit to contested case hearingMichigan Advance · Mar 17, 2026 · news
- 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
- Data center plan heads to Van Buren Township board despite community oppositionWXYZ · Feb 12, 2026 · news
- Google confirmed as company behind Van Buren Township data center planCBS Detroit · Mar 17, 2026 · news
- AG Nessel Files Testimony to Protect Ratepayers in Google Data Center ProposalMichigan Department of Attorney General · Jun 11, 2026 · government
- Development Agreement between PDC VBT, LLC and Charter Township of Van BurenCharter Township of Van Buren · May 20, 2026 · government
- Google data center in Van Buren Township gets key approval from Michigan regulatorsMichigan Public · Oct 2, 2026 · news
- Michigan AG challenges electricity contracts for Google data center outside DetroitMichigan Public · Oct 30, 2026 · news
- Google wins zoning approval for huge data center near Detroit airportMichigan Public · Oct 15, 2026 · news
Cite this page
Last updated Nov 5, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.
| APA | Data Center Census. (2026). Project Cannoli. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/dc/project-cannoli-van-buren-township-mi |
|---|---|
| MLA | “Project Cannoli.” Data Center Census, Nov 5, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/dc/project-cannoli-van-buren-township-mi. |
| Link | https://datacentercensus.com/dc/project-cannoli-van-buren-township-mi |
Republishing a figure or table? Attribute it to Data Center Census with a link to this page. The underlying data is downloadable as JSON and CSV; the press kit has standing figures and contact details.