Project Bulletin: January 2, 2024

Cielo Digital Infrastructure’s investment joins planned data centers in Culpeper from DataBank and
Peterson Companies.

Rendering courtesy of Cielo Digital Infrastructure

In December 2023, an hour northwest of Richmond, Virginia, Culpeper County officials approved plans for Cielo Digital Infrastructure to construct a $5.4 billion data center. A 121-acre site will support the over 130,000-sq.-ft. project in the county’s McDevitt Drive Technology Zone. The company plans to construct three buildings on site — two 96 megawatt (MW) data centers and one 48 MW center — including an REC substation and onsite water tanks. The county’s Board of Supervisors passed the project with a 5-2 vote, which reflected concern about the size of fuel tanks that would be used for the company’s planned large backup generators.

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Having operated a plant in Saint Peters, Missouri, since 1959, GlobalWafers now has completed an expansion in O’Fallon, its neighboring community in St. Charles County.

Photo by Getty Images

By 2025, GlobalWafers plans to roll out new 200- and 300-millimeter wafers from its O’Fallon, Missouri, plant with a $300 million expansion investment. The company saw success with pilot production of these wafers, which can be used in applications as varied as household appliances and aerospace technology, and now looks to continue to address supply chain needs through this investment. The investment will create 100 new jobs in Missouri and comes on the heels of the company’s planned projects in Texas. For its Missouri expansion the company received a 10-year, 50% personal property tax abatement and was offered tax abatement for construction costs. City officials noted that this project is just the beginning of the company’s future plans for growth within
the city.

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With this manufacturing investment the state looks to support its agricultural and livestock producers.

Photo by Getty Images

White River Soy Processing, LLC plans to construct a $400 million oilseed processing plant in North Platte, Nebraska. The facility will be located at the Hershey Rail Park, which was chosen after the North Platte Chamber and Development Corporation finished its feasibility study of the 300-acre site. The Nebraska Legislature approved $30 million through its Rural Projects Act to fund development of the industrial park. Now that the Omaha-based company has received approval it will look to raise capital to support development of the project, which is anticipated to open by the end of 2024 or early 2025, creating up to 75 new jobs. “An oilseed processing plant at the Hershey Rail Park is a great opportunity for Nebraska’s soybean farmers and livestock producers,” said Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen. “The site is also well positioned to contribute significantly to the economic growth of North Platte, Hershey, and surrounding communities, and further positions our state as an agricultural leader.”

Reports compiled and written by Alexis Elmore