South Bend says it has had no communication with proposed energy center developer

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - The City of South Bend says it has had no communication with NextNRG, a Florida company proposing an energy center on a long-vacant industrial property in the city.

NextNRG initially announced plans involving data center infrastructure last week. The company now says the proposal involves an energy center that would power computing units on site.

The company describes container-sized computing units, each with its own cooling system, rather than a sprawling campus.

City says project scope was larger than expected

In a statement sent to WNDU Tuesday afternoon, the city said it learned of NextNRG’s involvement and the larger project scope from Inside INdiana Business on Friday. That was one day after NextNRG announced plans to buy about 33 acres in South Bend for its Lone Wolf Energy Center.

The city said its only contact has been routine zoning verification requests, first from Voyant and then from Envision. The city said the project scope shared by Voyant was much smaller than what has been reported.

Project remains a proposal

The city said it will hold NextNRG’s project to the protections and standards in the Neighborhoods-First framework it outlined a month ago. Those standards include no local incentives or subsidies and a requirement that the developer pay its own way for any infrastructure and energy needs.

“We’ve been clear that investment in digital infrastructure can strengthen South Bend, but only if neighborhoods come first,” Mayor James Mueller said in the statement. “We will hold NextNRG to the protection standards in our Neighborhoods-First framework, and there will not be even a dime of local incentive or subsidy for this project.”

The project remains a proposal. NextNRG said negotiations are ongoing and no final agreements have been made. The company’s original announcement also said there is no guarantee the property purchase will close.

You can read the city’s full statement in its entirety below:

The City has had no communication with NextNRG. Our only contact has been routine zoning verification requests, first by Voyant and then by Envision. A proposed project scope shared by Voyant with the City was much smaller in scale than what has been reported.
The City learned of NextNRG’s involvement and the larger project scope from Inside Indiana Business on Friday. If accurate, the City will hold this project to protections and standards in the Neighborhood’s-First framework, including zero local incentives or subsidies and a requirement that the developer pay its own way for any infrastructure and energy needs.
“We’ve been clear that investment in digital infrastructure can strengthen South Bend, but only if neighborhoods come first,” said Mayor James Mueller. “We will hold NextNRG to the protection standards in our Neighborhoods-First framework, and there will not be even a dime of local incentive or subsidy for this project.”
City of South Bend

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