Developers of Google’s data center on Fort Wayne’s southeast side got permission to fill in nearly two-and-a-half acres of wetlands.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management allowed the company to fill in the wetlands with clean fill dirt as long as the damage is mitigated.
The company will buy credits from the state’s wetland mitigation bank and use what is called an “in-lieu of fee” program for the Maumee Service Area of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
The company has another permit sitting at IDEM. This request would allow for the construction of diesel-powered emergency generators and cooling towers on the property.
Public comment on the draft air permit will be open until Oct. 4.
Google announced plans to build a $2 billion data center in Fort Wayne in April 2024.
In 2024, the Department of Energy under President Biden forecast data centers would use up to 12 percent of the nation’s total electricity by 2028.
