Governor Lee, Commissioner Rolfe Announce Facebook to Build $800 Million Data Center in Gallatin

source: Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (official press release)
headline: Governor Lee, Commissioner Rolfe Announce Facebook to Build $800 Million Data Center in Gallatin
byline: (none stated — institutional release, no author credited)
date: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 06:00am
url: https://www.tn.gov/ecd/news/2020/8/12/governor-lee--commissioner-rolfe-announce-facebook-to-build--800-million-data-center-in-gallatin.html
mirror: https://tnecd.com/news/governor-lee-commissioner-rolfe-announce-facebook-to-build-800-million-data-center-in-gallatin/
archive: (none — no Internet Archive capture found at retrieval)
retrieved: 2026-08-17
provenance note: Captured via automated fetch, rendered to text. Quote wording should be re-verified against the live page before publication.
why saved: THE ORIGIN DOCUMENT. This is the text that outlets reprinted verbatim. Compare the three reprints saved alongside it. Note the state issued it at 6:00am; Tennessee Lookout says the announcement "came just after midnight Wednesday."

Download the original file · 2020-08-12-tnecd-press-release-facebook-gallatin.txt

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob
Rolfe and Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) officials announced that the technology company will invest
$800 million to build a new state-of-the-art data center in Gallatin.

Once operational, the project is estimated to support approximately 100 jobs and will have
more than 1,100 construction workers on site at peak. The data center will support a variety
of positions and job types, from technical operations, electricians, logistics staff, security
and more. Construction has just begun on the 982,000-square-foot facility.

The Facebook Gallatin Data Center will be among the most advanced, energy- and water-efficient
data center facilities in the world. It will be supported by 100 percent renewable energy,
will use 80 percent less water than the average, and, once completed, will be LEED Gold
certified. Facebook has already partnered with the TVA to bring 220 MW of new solar energy to
the Tennessee Valley to support Facebook's operations in the region.

The announcement is the culmination of a three-year recruitment effort by the Gallatin Economic
Development Agency, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and
Tennessee Valley Authority.

Facebook will join several other large brand names located in the Gallatin Industrial Park,
including Beretta USA, Gap and SERVPRO.

Since 2015, TNECD has supported 13 economic development projects in Sumner County, resulting
in more than 2,000 job commitments and $223 million in capital investment.

QUOTES

Gov. Bill Lee: "It is a testament to the quality of our business environment and the
competitive spirit of our state that in this economy we are able to attract one of the world's
largest companies."

TNECD Commissioner Bob Rolfe: "Tennessee is known for the companies that call our state home,
and we are proud to welcome another globally recognized brand to our roster."

Rachel Peterson, VP of Data Center Strategy, Facebook: "We chose Gallatin because of its
terrific infrastructure, talented workforce, and the spirit of partnership the community
offered."

Gallatin Mayor Paige Brown: "Our community made the decision three years ago to pursue
technology jobs as part of our economic development strategy."

John Bradley, TVA Senior Vice President of Economic Development: "This public-private
partnership demonstrates the strength of TVA's public power model to deliver clean, renewable
energy at competitive costs."

Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin): "This is a huge investment by Facebook
and is tremendous news for Sumner County."

House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland): "This data center will be part of a
network that connects people all over the world, and I'm proud to welcome Facebook to our
community."

Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster): "Tennessee is a conservative, proud right-to-work state
with a strong pro-business reputation."