Microsoft Malaga Campus

Timeline from the record

Newest first. Record entries come from the filings and reports the registry cites. Coverage entries are headlines from publisher feeds we monitor daily, linked to the outlet; last checked September 14, 2026.

1. June 2023

   Under construction
   Construction of first datacenter building commenced June 2023 per Microsoft Local blog; Jumpoff Ridge Substation also under construction on campus Source: Microsoft Local
2. March 2023

   Permitted
   Permits filed for three data center buildings on Malaga Alcoa Highway; Chelan County Source: Data Center Dynamics
3. April 2022

   Proposed
   Microsoft acquired 102.5 acres on Malaga Alcoa Highway for $9.2M across three parcels Source: Data Center Dynamics

Opposition and litigation at this site

Partly. Both documented support and documented opposition to Microsoft Malaga Campus in Malaga, Chelan County, Washington appear in the record, with no clear majority position. Chelan County PUD commissioners approved Microsoft's large-load power contract on June 16, 2025 (the first under the PUD's new large-load framework), structured so Microsoft bears the full cost and risk of its demand.

How the community has taken it

Reception is a sourced signal, not an editorial judgment: mixed reception means documented support and documented opposition both exist with no clear majority position on record.

Chelan County PUD commissioners approved Microsoft's large-load power contract on June 16, 2025 (the first under the PUD's new large-load framework), structured so Microsoft bears the full cost and risk of its demand. Public comments centered on preserving reliability and affordable rates for existing customers, with some concern about service priority during energy shortfalls. No litigation.

Source: Chelan County PUD

Power and water

Carbon-free hydropower from Chelan PUD; 18 MW surplus hydropower through end of 2025, then long-term arrangement under utility energy marketing strategy. Under the June 2025 large-load contract, Microsoft will import new clean power from a third-party supplier for 2026-2040 (source undetermined); Chelan PUD is not obligated to serve its own hydropower. Microsoft funded the $86.5M Jumpoff Ridge substation.

Newest AI datacenter buildings designed for no evaporative cooling water use per Microsoft Community-First blog. Earlier permit data shows ~83 gpm per building for fire suppression and employee use, not cooling.

Notes on the record

Three-building campus at 5375 Malaga Alcoa Highway; two additional buildings possible by 2027 on demand. 288 MW figure from secondary aggregator Cleanview only; primary sources (DCD, Microsoft) do not specify MW capacity. Construction of first building began June 2023 per Microsoft Local blog; original statusHistory incorrectly dated under_construction to 2024-05. Expected operational 2026. Coordinates approximate for Malaga area on Malaga Alcoa Highway. A Building-1 permit cites ~72 peak-shift staff (a single-building figure, not a facility employment total); no confirmed total campus capital-expenditure figure is public. Go-live check 2026-08-08: NO citable operational date exists. Microsoft's own Malaga project page gives a first-phase construction window concluding in early 2026 but states plainly that "Completion of construction does not indicate datacenter operation/availability", and publishes no energization or service date. Secondary reporting that the first building would be "powered in August and fully operational by late 2026" is forward-looking and was not used to move the status. Remains under_construction. Microsoft's own Quincy/Central Washington community page states it "operates datacenters in Quincy and is developing new datacenters in Malaga and East Wenatchee", positively confirming the site is not yet operational.

Other sites within 30 miles

Distances are between recorded coordinates, many of which are a city or county centroid, so treat them as approximate. Cumulative load on one utility and one aquifer is the question a planning commission rarely asks.

• Giga Watt Mining Facility (former) · East Wenatchee · Giga Watt Inc.12 mi · Cancelled
• Salcido Pangborn Data Center · East Wenatchee · Salcido Enterprises, LLC12 mi · Operating · 10 MW
• Microsoft East Wenatchee Data Center · East Wenatchee · Microsoft12 mi · Operating · 180 MW
• Sabey Intergate.Columbia Building A · East Wenatchee · Sabey Data Centers12 mi · Operating
• Bitdeer Wenatchee (Pangborn) Data Center · East Wenatchee · Bitdeer13 mi · Under construction · 13 MW
• Salcido Columbia Data Center · Wenatchee · Salcido Enterprises, LLC14 mi · Operating
• Microsoft Columbia Data Center (Quincy) · Quincy · Microsoft16 mi · Operating
• NTT Data Quincy Data Center · Quincy · NTT DATA16 mi · Operating

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