GRANGER, IND. (WOWO) Construction for a new Microsoft data center in Granger, Indiana, could begin by late April or early May, local officials confirm. The expansive project will cover 900 acres and include six data center buildings, each employing approximately 50 workers, totaling around 300 new jobs.

Microsoft will pay full property taxes on the facility, providing revenue for the Penn-Harris-Madison school district, local libraries, and township governments. The company will also fund major infrastructure upgrades, including widening Cleveland Road from the Bittersweet Roundabout to the railroad tracks and extending Mishawaka water and sewer services to the site.

To meet the facility’s water needs, Microsoft will cap three wells on the property and use municipal water supplied by Mishawaka for domestic purposes. The water used to cool the servers will be trucked in from outside St. Joseph County and managed through a closed-loop system. After two years, the water will be transported out of the county for cleaning.

In addition to construction, Microsoft will invest in workforce development by funding training programs at Penn High School and Ivy Tech to prepare local workers for jobs at the data center.

A community meeting is planned in late April or early May to provide additional information, according to WSBT.