About the Project
A $12 billion data center campus proposed for Rockford, Illinois
The Project
Rockford Data Center proposes a $12 billion data center campus on 1,100 acres of I-2 zoned industrial land south of Chicago Rockford International Airport. The facility will feature 8-11 buildings with a total power capacity of 800 megawatts, making it one of the largest data center developments in the Midwest.
What distinguishes Rockford Data Center from typical data center developers is its "Power Campus" model — co-locating power generation directly with the data center facility. This approach reduces strain on the existing electrical grid, eliminates the need for costly transmission upgrades, and ensures reliable power supply independent of regional grid constraints.
The Power Campus Model
Co-Located Generation
Power generation built alongside the data center, reducing dependence on the regional grid
Grid Reliability
Self-sufficient power means no risk of brownouts or reliability issues for existing customers
No Cost-Shifting
Self-generated power plus Illinois POWER Act protections ensure residential ratepayers aren't impacted
Leadership
The developer's leadership team brings decades of experience from the renewable energy and utility sectors — not just data centers.
Ben Alingh
Chief Executive Officer
Previously at Enel Green Power, Orsted, and Coronal-Panasonic. Deep expertise in utility-scale renewable energy development and energy infrastructure.
Charles Koontz
Chief Operating Officer
Previously at Orsted, American Electric Power, and Integrys. Extensive background in large-scale energy operations and grid infrastructure.
Legislative Framework
Illinois POWER Act
Requires data centers to finance their own generation capacity. Prohibits shifting costs to residential electricity customers. The project's co-located generation model is purpose-built to comply.
Tax Incentive Pause
Governor Pritzker announced a two-year pause on data center tax incentives effective July 1, 2026. Important: state sales/use tax incentives are separate from local property taxes. The $60M/year in local property tax revenue is not affected by state-level incentive changes.
Environmental Regulation
The facility will be subject to EPA Title V Operating Permits, Illinois EPA Air Quality Permits, Clean Water Act NPDES permits, and RCRA compliance — the same rigorous framework that governs all industrial operations in Illinois.
Putting $12 Billion in Context
Microsoft committed $80 billion globally to data center infrastructure in 2025 alone. Hyperscale data centers typically cost $1-2 billion per building. With 8-11 planned buildings plus supporting infrastructure, The developer's $12 billion figure falls squarely within the expected $8-16.5 billion range for a campus of this scale.
At $12 billion, this investment is 48 times the $250 million minimum threshold for Illinois data center incentive qualification — and would be one of the largest single-site investments in Illinois history.