A render of the proposed Hammond Data Center. Photo from City of Hammond.

News Release

HAMMOND — A $7 billion data center expansion in Hammond is advancing after state regulators approved a new utility subsidiary to provide power to the project.

Chicago-based Decennial Group plans to add 450,000 square feet to the Digital Crossroads campus at the site of the former State Line Generating Plant. The expansion, which includes a $2 billion construction investment and another $5 billion for computer equipment, will be leased to AI computing company CoreWeave under a 20-year agreement.

The Hammond Common Council approved a development agreement in June, but the project had been delayed while Northern Indiana Public Service Co. sought authorization to create a subsidiary, GenCo, designed to serve large-scale data centers. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approved the plan last week, allowing GenCo to negotiate rates directly with developers. Utility officials said the arrangement will prevent additional costs from falling on residential and business customers.

Mayor Tom McDermott said the project represents the largest single investment in Hammond’s history. Decennial expects to break ground once power supply agreements with NIPSCO are finalized, with construction targeted for completion by 2028.

The site was chosen for its location along high-capacity fiber lines, which Decennial has already invested in, and officials say the expansion will position Hammond as a hub for cloud-based computing.