Project Washington data center campus near Delaware City
Also called: Project Washington, Project Washington North, Project Washington South
Starwood Digital Ventures planned Delaware's biggest data center: 11 buildings on about 580 acres near Delaware City, using up to 1.2 gigawatts of power. State regulators said the plan breaks the Coastal Zone Act because of its 516 diesel backup generators. Starwood dropped its last appeal in July 2026, so the plan cannot go ahead in its current form, but the company says it is still looking for a way forward.
Where things stand: State said no under the Coastal Zone Act; a state board agreed in March 2026. Starwood dropped its court appeal in July 2026. It cannot go ahead as planned.
🕒 Latest update (July 2026): Starwood quietly withdrew its Superior Court appeal, two days after lawmakers passed new data center laws. The company says it is still looking for a way forward.
What we know
- 📍 WhereEmpty land between Dupont Highway (US 13), Governor Lea Road and River Road, just north of the Delaware City Refinery. Red Lion Creek splits it into a north and a south campus., New Castle County
- 🏢 CompanyStarwood Digital Ventures
- 🏛️ Owned byStarwood Capital Group
- 🌳 Size580 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs1,200 megawatts (about as much as 960,000 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromDelmarva Power grid, with 516 diesel backup generators planned.
- 🛢️ Diesel generators516
- 👷 Jobs promised700
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Will Starwood file a new, changed plan for this land? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much water would the campus have used per day? 🙋 I'll find out
- Who would have been the tenant (end user) of the campus? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- July 2025Starwood filed plans with New Castle County for an 11-building, 1.2 gigawatt data center campus on about 580 acres.
- Aug 2025Starwood sent the county an early (exploratory) plan for the south campus. The north campus would need a rezoning.
- Oct 22, 2025Starwood signed a project labor deal with 20 local trade unions. It estimates 3,500 construction jobs and 700 permanent jobs.
- Feb 2026Delaware's environment secretary ruled the project is heavy industry and not allowed under the Coastal Zone Act, pointing to 516 diesel backup generators and about 2.5 million gallons of stored diesel.
- Feb 2026Starwood appealed to the Coastal Zone Industrial Control Board.
- March 26, 2026The state Coastal Zone board voted unanimously to uphold the ruling. Starwood then appealed to Delaware Superior Court.
- July 2026Starwood quietly withdrew its Superior Court appeal, two days after lawmakers passed new data center laws. The company says it is still looking for a way forward.
Local votes and rules
🤝 Agreement with the company
County Councilman Tim Sheldon says he made a handshake deal with the developer's lawyer to pause the White Clay Center data center plan near Newark. The deal is not binding and the county is not part of it. In return, the county is expected to approve an early site plan that keeps the land under the old rules, so a data center there would not have to follow the 2026 county data center law. In September 2026 the owner filed plans to put a school program in half of one building, but its lawyer says it still wants the data center plan approved.
📜 Data center rules
County Council voted 12-0 (one member absent) for the county's first data center rules (Substitute 3 to Ordinance 25-101). County Executive Marcus Henry signed it on March 18, 2026. Big data centers may only go in industrial zones and must stay 1,000 feet from homes, or 500 feet if they can meet noise limits. Open-loop cooling is banned unless reclaimed water is used. Owners must clean up the site if they close. The rules are not retroactive, so projects already filed, like Project Washington and the White Clay Center plan near Newark, do not have to follow them.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Project Washington pulls appeal, data center won't proceed under current plan · Spotlight Delaware · Aug 28, 2026
- Delaware City data center environmental denial upheld by state board · Spotlight Delaware · March 26, 2026
- Delaware City data center developer appeals its Coastal Zone denial · Spotlight Delaware · Feb 25, 2026
- Delaware data center halted: Project Washington · Technical.ly · Feb 4, 2026
- Mega Del. City data center awaits state-level approval, county officials still have concerns · Delaware Public Media · Aug 19, 2025
- Project Washington data center partners with local Delaware unions · Delaware Public Media · Oct 28, 2025
- Starwood files for 11-building data center campus in Delaware · Baxtel · July 12, 2025
- New data center regulations go into effect, but not for Del. City proposal · Spotlight Delaware · March 19, 2026
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