Meta Beaver Dam data center
Also called: Balloonist LLC
Meta is building a data center campus of more than 700,000 square feet in Beaver Dam, costing over $1 billion. Meta says it will use dry cooling and restore 570 acres of wetland and prairie around the site. It also gave $15 million to an Alliant Energy fund that helps local families pay energy bills.
Where things stand: Under construction; Meta expects it to open in 2027.
🕒 Latest update (Dec 2025): An environmental group sued the state utility commission to make public how much power the project will use.
What we know
- 📍 WhereAlliant Energy's Beaver Dam Commerce Park, Beaver Dam, Dodge County
- 🏢 CompanyMeta Platforms
- 🏛️ Owned byMeta Platforms
- 👤 Built forMeta
- 🌳 Size520 acres
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromAlliant Energy; Meta says it will match use with 100% clean energy and pay nearly $200 million for grid upgrades, substations and power lines.
- 🗼 New power linesYes
- ❄️ Coolingdry cooling (Meta says no water for cooling once running)
- 💵 Cost$1 billion
- 👷 Jobs promised100
- 🤐 Secret deal (NDA)Yes. The Beaver Dam Area Development Corp. signed a secret deal (NDA) with Balloonist LLC, a Meta shell company, on Dec. 1, 2023.
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- How much electricity will the Meta data center use? (The state has not released this.) 🙋 I'll find out
- How many diesel backup generators will be on site? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- Dec 1, 2023The Beaver Dam Area Development Corp. signed an NDA with Balloonist LLC, a company tied to Meta.
- Nov 12, 2025The governor and Meta announced a $1 billion-plus AI data center in Beaver Dam.
- Dec 2025An environmental group sued the state utility commission to make public how much power the project will use.
Local votes and rules
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
Dodge County voted 29-2 for an 18-month pause on new data centers where county zoning applies. The county plans to study effects on land and water. Concerns about Meta's Beaver Dam site helped drive it. The towns of Lebanon, Rubicon and Trenton wrote in support.
✅ Approved
Beaver Dam's Common Council approved a land sale and development deal, rezoning and a tax deal (TIF) change for Oppidan's 90,000-square-foot 'edge' data center. It must be mostly built by July 31, 2028.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Meta's 30th Data Center: Delivering AI, Creating Community Benefits, and Supporting Wetlands Restoration · Meta · Nov 12, 2025
- Meta announces Beaver Dam data center · Alliant Energy · Nov 12, 2025
- At least four Wisconsin communities signed secrecy deals for data centers · Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / Wisconsin Watch · Feb 1, 2026
- Advocacy group sues for release of energy needs for Beaver Dam data center · The Center Square · Dec 10, 2025
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