Data Center View - August 8, 2025 - Janesville eyes data center redevelopment for former 240-acre GM plant site

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NEWS ROUNDUP

DEVELOPMENT: Janesville eyes data center redevelopment for former 240-acre GM plant site. The City of Janesville, Wisconsin, is exploring plans to transform the long-vacant 240-acre former General Motors plant—idle since 2008—into a large-scale data center campus. According to Economic Development Director Jimsi Kuborn, the project could generate 150–200 high-paying jobs, with potential salaries around $150,000 annually, offering a major economic boost to the community. The site is a brownfield property with known contamination, and city officials are factoring in environmental considerations such as power and water usage, light and sound pollution, and traffic impacts during the feasibility phase, which could take up to two years. An RFP is due August 14, after which the city will engage in detailed evaluation and planning. Kuborn emphasized the importance of community input, with residents encouraged to share feedback through the city’s website.

DEVELOPMENT: $90 billion in data center & energy investments pledged for Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is set to receive $90 billion in data center and energy infrastructure investments. Recent announcements include:

• Blackstone – $25B for data center and energy infrastructure in Northeast Pennsylvania, with a joint venture with PPL Corp. for new natural gas power plants. Plans include sites for data centers operated by QTS, creating 6,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs. Jon Gray, Blackstone president & COO, called the move a bet on “digital infrastructure and energy” to support AI growth.

• Pennsylvania Data Center Partners & PowerHouse Data Centers – $15B for Pennsylvania Digital I (PAX), a hyperscale hub in Carlisle with 1.35GW of initial capacity, expandable to 1.8GW. The project, led by Doug Fleit (PowerHouse CEO & co-founder) and Igal J. Feibush (PA Data Centers CEO), will feature three campuses, each with six buildings and a 450MW substation.

• Frontier Group – $3.4B to convert the former Bruce Mansfield coal plant in Shippingport into a natural gas facility, creating 15,000 construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs.

• Capital Power – $3B over 10 years to upgrade and expand its Shamokin Dam gas facility, adding 30 jobs.

• Enbridge – $1B to expand gas pipelines into Pennsylvania.

• Equinor – $1.6B to boost natural gas production and explore power generation for data centers.

• Constellation Energy – $2.4B to uprate the Limerick nuclear plant, adding 340MW.

• Westinghouse Electric Co. – Plans for 10 new nuclear reactors by 2030, projected to deliver $6B in economic impact and 15,000 jobs in Southwest Pennsylvania.

• First Energy – $15B to expand power distribution and strengthen the grid in 56 counties.

• PPL Corp. – $6.8B through 2028 to expand capacity and modernize transmission across the state.

These pledges follow other recent announcements, including CoreWeave’s $6B Lancaster AI data center and Google & Brookfield’s 3GW hydroelectric deal in the state.

PEOPLE MOVES: Black Box appoints new SVP. Black Box has named Sean Maguire as Senior Vice President of Sales for its data center business. Maguire, who brings 25+ years of experience from roles at Atos, Digital Realty, Olsson, CEC Facilities Group, and as founder of Stratygy, will lead the global sales function, aligning commercial strategy with operational delivery to meet rising demand for secure, scalable, and energy-efficient data center environments. Sanjeev Verma, President & CEO of Black Box, called the hire “central to the company’s next phase of growth,” adding that Maguire’s mix of strategic foresight and operational expertise will help strengthen its position as a partner of choice in the global data center market.

PEOPLE MOVES: Equinix promotes new President. Equinix has appointed Arquelle Shaw as President, Americas. A 20-year enterprise technology veteran, Shaw will oversee management, strategy, and growth across the U.S., Latin America, and Canada, while continuing as SVP, Sales, Americas through Q3 to ensure a smooth transition. Shaw has spent the past six years leading the Americas sales team, delivering record results by refining the go-to-market strategy, strengthening customer relationships, and accelerating regional growth. Jon Lin, Chief Business Officer at Equinix, praised her as “a dynamic and proven leader” who can align global strategy with regional nuance while uniting diverse teams under a shared vision.

READ: Data centers credited as construction backlog rebounds.

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8.39 Acres | Price: $4,385,621

84,610 SF | On-Site Power With Expansion Capacity | 3.5MW Currently at Building, Expandable to 6.5MW in 1 Year

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