The former Hemlock Semiconductor site in Clarksville will soon have a new tenant: a Google data center, The Tennessean reported Monday, citing people familiar with the development deal.
Google, which is in the final stages of negotiation, plans to invest more than $500 million in the data center and create an estimated initial 70 full-time jobs, the sources said.
The report comes after months of rising speculation about who might be stepping in to replace Hemlock on a sprawling former TVA megasite in northeast Montgomery County. In 2014, Hemlock scrapped its ambitious plan for a $1.2 billion plant after global market conditions spelled its end before production began.
The Leaf-Chronicle has been reporting for several weeks that talks regarding a possible new industry for the site are ongoing, but officials at the Montgomery County Courthouse and in economic development circles in the Clarksville area remained tight-lipped when it came to naming the prospect or saying anything about the nature or scope of its operations.
Industrial Development Board Executive Director Mike Evans would only say that he and other local officials, and the undisclosed prospect, were operating under the “tightest non-disclosure agreement that I can remember in my 18 years in this position.
“Evans has been involved in attracting numerous industries to the community, including the most recent $800 million prize — Hankook Tire.
Source: Google data center to replace Hemlock in Clarksville
