Kearney Project Horizon: 368 MW Plan Names FCL and DLR

Project Horizon brings a $300 million nonbinding Phase I spending target and a 368 MW gross campus demand plan to Kearney, Nebraska. The most useful detail for construction firms is already in the drawings: FCL Builders is listed as general contractor, DLR Group handles architecture and multiple engineering disciplines, and DLR's assignment expressly includes telecom and security design.

Kearney's September 8 conditional-use approval moves the proposed Tech oNE Crossing campus through a significant planning step. For low-voltage contractors, the next opportunity is to establish how those design responsibilities become bid packages, installation contracts and acceptance requirements. Public evidence still leaves actual mobilization, executed construction awards and specialty subcontractors unverified.

What Kearney approved

KSNB's September 8 reporting says the council unanimously approved data-center code amendments and the Tech One Crossing conditional-use permit. News Channel Nebraska independently reported approval of Project Horizon. The council agenda identifies CUP 2026-04 and ordinance 8823, with the purchase and community-benefit agreements appearing as separate items.

The application identifies 4807 Antelope Avenue. The property sits outside Kearney's city limits, within its extraterritorial jurisdiction in Buffalo County. The 130-page municipal submission describes new development on vacant land and eventual redevelopment of an existing cryptocurrency-mining property. That creates a construction sequence involving both new buildings and a transition from existing infrastructure.

Project detail	Documented position	Open question
Location	Tech oNE Crossing, Kearney	Final access and work limits
Development stage	CUP approval reported Sept. 8	Building permits and mobilization
Phase I expenditure	$300M nonbinding target	Executed budget and contracts
Full-build demand	368 MW gross electrical load	IT capacity and delivery schedule
Additional power	Approximately 268 MW needed	Utility expansion milestones
Permanent employment	26 Phase I; 59 full-build forecast	Hiring dates and openings

A conditional-use approval establishes an important planning milestone. Contractors still need the final conditions, relevant permits, procurement instructions and notice to proceed before treating the campus as an active construction assignment. The reviewed sources do not establish an open bid invitation or a verified construction-start date.

Read the $300 million figure at its stated scope

The purchase-agreement packet contains an important distinction. Its staff memo describes a minimum $300 million investment, while section 12.3(i) of the underlying agreement expressly frames that amount as a nonbinding Phase I expenditure target. The listed categories include core and shell, interior fit-out, mechanical and electrical equipment, and soft costs.

That distinction governs how the number should be used. The reviewed agreement supports reporting a planned Phase I target. It does not establish the value of an executed FCL contract, total campus capital expenditure, closed financing or spending already completed. It also provides no basis for assigning a fixed percentage of $300 million to low-voltage installation.

The land transaction has its own amount: approximately 72.45 city-owned acres for $7,103,100. Those terms cover the proposed city land purchase, while the broader CUP also includes the existing mining property. Closing remains unverified. Contractors should keep land cost, construction spending, equipment procurement and specialty trade value separate when assessing the opportunity.

The named team includes telecom and security design

Sheet G-000, on PDF page 14 of the CUP submission, provides the clearest project-team evidence. It lists Worldwide Mission Critical as owner representative, FCL Builders as general contractor, DLR Group across design disciplines, and Miller & Associates for civil engineering. These are roles listed in a schematic submission; executed awards and contract values have not been verified.

Organization	Listed involvement	Evidence limit
Horizon 1 Kearney Owner, LP	Applicant / owner vehicle	End-user tenant unverified
Worldwide Mission Critical	Owner representative	Schematic team listing
FCL Builders	General contractor	Executed award unverified
DLR Group	Architecture; MEP; telecom/security	Installation awards unknown
Miller & Associates	Civil engineering	Listed design role
Nebraska Public Power District	Utility / new-load review	Expansion delivery unverified
Central Community College	Proposed training partner	Program launch unverified

The company pages establish identities and relevant practices. The municipal drawing establishes the Horizon assignments. DLR's entry also covers interior, structural, mechanical and electrical design. Its telecom/security listing is a direct reason for communications and security firms to study this project, although the submission does not name the eventual installers.

The applicant vehicle is documented. The reviewed evidence does not establish the ultimate ownership structure, operating brand or end-user tenant. Historical entities appearing in site and power exhibits should not be assumed to represent the new campus operator. An owner representative, a utility customer and a future tenant can have different contractual responsibilities.

368 MW depends on a staged power transition

The CUP staff memo describes 368 MW as total full-build electrical demand. Approximately 100 MW of existing service is proposed for reuse in Phase I, with approximately 268 MW additional demand for later phases. The applicant reportedly submitted NPPD's new-load application and required securitization. Those steps document a utility process; delivery of the additional power remains unverified.

These are gross site-power figures. The sources do not provide a verified campus IT-capacity total or evidence that 368 MW is currently serving AI equipment. Backup generators and batteries are described as emergency resources. The application intends grid supply for the facility load, and does not present a continuously operating private generation plant.

For the delivery team, the practical issue is sequencing. Existing operations, service reuse, new electrical infrastructure and later building extensions need coordinated transition plans. A confirmed service agreement, utility work schedule, energization milestone and commissioning sequence would make the campus schedule more actionable for trades. A headline capacity figure alone cannot determine when fiber crews or controls technicians will be needed.

Where prospective low-voltage work appears

The filing directly identifies telecom/security design, a guardhouse, controlled site access and perimeter fencing. The table below applies LVN's trade analysis to that evidence. It describes work areas to investigate; quantities, manufacturers, package ownership and installation awards remain open.

Work area	Reason to investigate	Next scope evidence
Fiber and OSP	Campus telecom design	Carrier entrances and route plans
Structured cabling	Facility communications	Issued drawings and cable schedules
Access and CCTV	Security design; controlled entry	Device plans and integrator package
Fire interfaces	Life-safety coordination	Approved cause-and-effect matrix
Controls and networking	Cooling and facility monitoring	Point lists and IT/OT boundaries
Testing and turnover	Phased systems acceptance	Commissioning responsibility matrix

Fiber firms should seek entrance locations, duct and vault responsibilities, carrier coordination and test requirements before estimating footage. Security firms should establish whether perimeter access, building access, cameras and monitoring fall under one integrator or separate packages. Controls firms should identify who supplies equipment controllers and who owns system integration.

These package questions are LVN's analysis, rather than a claim that public bidding has begun. Public-safety radio coverage and DAS also depend on the final design and authority having jurisdiction; no specific Horizon installation requirement has been verified. Electrical, fire, cabling, security, controls and commissioning subcontractors remain unnamed in the reviewed evidence.

Water and delivery plans add coordination work

The DLR water study within the CUP packet describes closed-loop cooling, with recurring water uses and separate commissioning fills. Closed-loop operation still includes water for functions such as coil washing, humidity control and domestic use. The study estimates 455,600 gallons per year for one building and 911,200 for two, while landscaping has a separate approximately 2.24-million-gallon annual estimate.

Commissioning fills are a different demand event, with four fills totaling 3.35 million gallons in the study. This distinction matters for utility coordination, commissioning logistics and the timing of acceptance activities. It should not be presented as either zero-water operation or an annual process-water total.

The community-benefit exhibit anticipates Phase I deliveries through 2028 and a subsequent phase during 2028–2030, conditional on NPPD power. The CUP separately describes three physical site-development phases, while the water study includes Building 1 turnover estimates in late 2027 and early 2028. These planning schedules use different phase labels. They do not establish that construction begins in late 2027 or that every delivery date is fixed.

Jobs, training and contractor readiness

The community-benefit exhibit forecasts 26 permanent jobs in Phase I and 59 at full buildout. Those figures concern future operating employment. Current construction headcount, a total construction-job estimate and project-specific vacancies remain unverified. A company's general careers page should not be presented as proof of hiring for Horizon.

The same exhibit contemplates $250,000 annually for five years toward Central Community College training, including a proposed Data Center Academy. Performance is subject to conditions, and acceptance, launch and enrollment have not been verified. CCC's existing mechatronics program is a relevant starting point for electrical, mechanical and control-system skills, with the proposed academy requiring separate confirmation.

For technicians, useful preparation includes fiber handling and testing, pathway coordination, bonding, labeling, documentation and disciplined troubleshooting. The FOA technical guide covers fiber and premises-cabling topics, while FOA workforce resources explain training pathways. Employers should verify the actual project credential requirements before treating any certificate as mandatory.

OSHA Outreach Training is a general safety resource. Contractor onboarding may also involve site access, lift authorization, equipment training and employer-specific procedures. Horizon's final requirements are not publicly established in the reviewed documents. Firms can prepare relevant experience, testing examples and staffing plans while waiting for confirmed procurement instructions.

The next documents that change the opportunity

The most useful next evidence is specific: final permit conditions, land closing, an executed construction award, issued trade packages and a utility delivery schedule. For telecom and security contractors, a released design package and a verified procurement contact would connect the named design team to an actionable sales decision.

Horizon is worth following because its municipal submission exposes the planned team and several important dependencies early. Keep the $300 million Phase I target, 368 MW gross demand, staged power delivery and forecast jobs attached to their qualifications as the project advances.

Explore LVN Signal for construction opportunities and project intelligence. Use this source-linked breakdown to identify the organizations and documents to check before committing estimating time. Confirm live bid instructions and package scope with the responsible project team.

Reporting checked September 11, 2026. Featured and social artwork are AI-generated editorial illustrations; the municipal exhibits provide the project evidence.