Nebius Independence Data Center: 1.2 GW Plans, Power and Lawsuit

FJI source-qualified: four-document gate met, including project-specific government evidence. Qualification evidence and decisions →

Project status: First-phase construction documented; October 22 restraint hearing reported; no halt order verified. Capacity scope: Up to 1.2 GW planned campus envelope; commissioned IT load unverified. How we verify evidence.

Evidence reviewed October 11, 2026 · Under construction

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The project in one minute

Nebius’s Independence AI data center is a phased Missouri development with a planned capacity envelope of up to 1.2 GW. Construction is documented, but commissioned IT capacity, site utilization and project revenue remain unestablished. This is a distinct campus from the company’s leased Kansas City infrastructure.

Readiness: under construction, with delivery still ahead

Nebius’s dated May 12 announcement describes first-phase construction and a groundbreaking ceremony. Missouri’s economic-development department records the same event; its release substantially follows the developer’s account. DatacenterDynamics reports the launch the following day. These documents support an under-construction classification, with no assertion that all buildings are complete or serving customers.

Location and capacity scope

Nebius places the roughly 400-acre development at Route 78 and Little Blue Parkway. The map uses a representative Independence city-area pin. The 1.2 GW envelope is prospective; it is not accepted IT load. Earlier reporting carries different building counts and smaller capacity descriptions, so this profile does not present a fixed hall count as reconciled engineering.

Does Independence’s moratorium stop Nebius?

The city’s July 6 statement says its 180-day pause applies to new applications and explicitly excludes Nebius. That narrow exemption does not resolve every permit, legal challenge or infrastructure condition. KCTV5’s October 5 report separately says the subsequently adopted rules for future data centers do not affect the existing project. The final ordinance text was not reviewed here; the October scope is attributed to that report.

Nebius lawsuit: October 22 is a hearing, not a construction-halt order

KSHB reports a hearing at 9 a.m. October 22 on residents’ temporary-restraining-order request and the defendants’ dismissal motion. It identifies the city, Missouri ADC Holdings LLC and Independence Power Partners LP as defendants. The plaintiffs’ zoning, open-records and city-charter claims remain allegations. The linked Missouri Courts petition could not be retrieved during this review. No signed construction-stopping order was established; this is a verification limit, not a court-status certification.

Power delivery remains a separate dependency

Nebius describes initial IPL power delivery targeted for the second half of 2026 and a later study for additional supply. Its page also discusses private generation at Blue Valley and prospective on-site generation. The page contains overlapping scope descriptions; no executed contracts, tariffs, regulatory approvals or accepted phase power were reviewed. These remain delivery dependencies.

Companies and economic roles

Nebius Group (Nasdaq: NBIS) is the AI-cloud developer/operator. ARCO is named as a construction participant; IPL and Independence Power Partners appear in the resource plan and reporting. These names do not establish traded-company exposure or supplier earnings. NVIDIA’s appearance in the developer’s announcement does not disclose a site-specific GPU order. Microsoft and Meta’s wider Nebius relationships do not identify either as an Independence customer.

Capital and financing boundaries · Our analysis

A large infrastructure envelope can attract attention while concealing very different cash obligations. Investors should distinguish land, buildings, electrical infrastructure and rapidly depreciating computing equipment. Tax-incentive mechanisms and authorized industrial-development bond ceilings must not be treated as cash drawn, third-party financing closed, construction cost or revenue. No site budget, lease economics or financing-close certification is supplied by this profile.

Timeline and the next evidence

March 2026: Nebius reports approval of its Chapter 100 incentive application. May 12: company and state records document groundbreaking. July 6: the city explicitly excludes Nebius from its new-application moratorium. October 5: KCTV5 reports future-project rules. Reviewed October 11: KSHB reports the October 22 motions hearing. None of these events establishes operating completion.

What would change the assessment · Our analysis

The first legal test is a signed written disposition with its exact scope. A dismissal, denial of restraint, limited restriction or broader injunction can imply different delivery consequences. The next physical tests are phase-specific power acceptance, completed cooling/network systems and delivered customer computing. The economic test is contracted demand converting to recurring cash generation after operating costs and hardware depreciation.

Investor takeaway · Our analysis

Independence adds a significant owned-campus development to Nebius’s footprint, but headline scale alone does not resolve the investment case. Track legal certainty, phased power and actual computing delivery together. The most useful new record would connect a funded, accepted phase to identifiable customer service; until then, utilization, site cash returns and the full-campus schedule remain unknown.

Sources and claim verification

Seven reviewed documents from six issuer/publisher organizations, including project-specific municipal and state records. Same-issuer statements and shared release wording are not independent corroboration. No original interviews or site visits were conducted. Inaccessible court documents are not counted as verified evidence.

1. Nebius · 2026-05-12

   Dates the groundbreaking ceremony and first-phase construction; names ARCO as construction participant. Ceremony and issuer statements do not certify commissioned capacity.

2. Nebius · publication date not established

   Describes roughly 400 acres and up to 1.2 GW planned campus capacity; current power and building plans require reconciliation and phase acceptance. Developer resource assurances are not audited outcomes.

3. City of Independence · 2026-07-06

   The city explicitly excludes Nebius from its 180-day moratorium on new applications. The exclusion is not a court judgment, full-campus permit or operating certificate.

4. Missouri Department of Economic Development · 2026-05-12

   Records the groundbreaking and announced development. Much of this account shares developer-release wording; government hosting is not independent inspection or full permitting.

5. KSHB / Jamie Peters · publication date not established

   Reports October 22, 2026 at 9 a.m. hearing on requested temporary restraint and dismissal motion. Party allegations are not findings; no signed halt order was established by this report.

6. KCTV5 / Betsy Webster · 2026-10-05

   Reports adopted rules for future data centers and says they do not affect Nebius. Uses Highway 79; developer and DCD identify Route 78, so do not use this story to place the pin.

7. DatacenterDynamics / Georgia Butler · 2026-05-13

   Reports the construction launch and distinguishes the campus from leased Kansas City capacity. Older building-count and bond descriptions are not controlling current engineering or proof of funded capital.