HF 16 (Minnesota, 2025 1st Special Session): data centers, Chapter 12

Adds the "qualified large-scale data center" ($250M within 60 months) to the sales tax exemption on equipment, now running 35 years from the first qualifying purchase for centers certified before Jul 1, 2042; requires prevailing wage and a green-building certification (or repayment); an annual fee of $2M-$5M by peak demand from 100 MW, which also exempts fee payers from utility conservation charges; requires the PUC to define a very large customer class for each public utility by Dec 15, 2026, with all costs assigned to it (new Minn. Stat. 216B.1622); a clean energy and capacity tariff; and water permit terms under which closed-loop cooling must be "reasonably considered". Authors Davids and Huot; Senate author Rest. House 85-43 on Jun 9, 2025; Senate urgency 46-19 and passage 40-26 the same day; signed by Gov. Walz Jun 14, 2025. It did not repeal the electricity exemption; HF 9 did.

HF 16