Millinocket, ME. 6/5/2021 - Nautilus Data Technologies (“Nautilus”), a sustainable data center technology company, has announced plans to locate a data center at the former mill site in Millinocket, Maine. Nautilus and site owner Our Katahdin have executed a 99-year lease which clears the way for engineering, permitting and development to begin in Millinocket, effective immediately. The first phase of the $300 million project is expected to be operating by late 2022.

Nautilus Data Technologies created the world’s most environmentally innovative water-cooled data center design, setting a new standard for efficiency, sustainability, and global scalability. The patented TRUE™ (“Total Resource Usage Effectiveness”) cooling closed water loop technology integrates proven maritime and industrial water-cooling systems with next-generation data center infrastructure to mark a new era of performance for the data center industry. The technology trims carbon emissions by 30% and offers a 100% reduction in water consumption, with zero pollution from ozone-depleting refrigerants or chemicals and no harm to terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity. This system delivers the lowest validated Power Utilization Effectiveness (PUE) in the industry, evidenced by its data center facility in Stockton, California.

“We are delighted to be working with Our Katahdin and our respective partners to build a world-class, reliable, and ultra-efficient data center. By combining our technology, the unique assets of the Millinocket site and Our Katahdin’s community mission, we will create one of the most efficient, greenest and most socially-responsible data centers in the world,” said James Connaughton, CEO of Nautilus. “It’s an exciting and transformational time to be in the data center business.”

Engineering, permitting and construction will begin in 2021 on a 13-acre parcel within the 1,400 acre, multi-use industrial site. The data center campus will feature 84,000-square-feet of data space with plans to expand to 60 megawatts of critical IT load.

“A data center is an excellent fit for our multi-use industrial site. The site is uniquely positioned to provide ready access to affordable, 100% renewable power, gravity-fed water, and resilient, multi-point access to fiber broadband networks. We are honored to partner with Nautilus to put our infrastructure to work and to create opportunity in the Katahdin region,” said Sean Dewitt, President of Our Katahdin.

In addition to Nautilus, tenants on the site are expected to include commercial and industrial manufacturers, forest product-based startups, and other mixed-use facilities requiring ample land and access to affordable power and water.

Mike Faloon, Vice President of Our Katahdin noted, “Nautilus helps us to permanently transition to a new era of next-generation industry, including advanced wood products manufacturing. There is tremendous opportunity to leverage our local natural resources and proximity to millions of acres of forest land."

The industrial site is the former home of Great Northern Paper, which began producing paper in 1902 and at its peak was the world’s largest newsprint producer. The Millinocket mill closed permanently in 2008. Nautilus will be the first tenant on the former mill since the closure and represents a new beginning for a region that has struggled to adapt to changes in the global forest products industry.

“On behalf of the town of Millinocket, we are happy to welcome Nautilus to the region and are thrilled that they will anchor the former mill site’s redevelopment. We would like to thank all the individuals, organizations and businesses who have helped us over the last 13 years since the mill closed its doors – it has been a tremendous effort to prepare for this day,” said Richard Angotti, Interim Millinocket Town Manager. “In the 1900s, Great Northern made paper, used to store and convey information. Now we start a new chapter in Millinocket’s history, where on this same site that paper was made, we will once again store information. This time it’s stored electronically,” continued Angotti.

Town of Millinocket Council Chairman Steve Golieb added “I'm appreciative of Nautilus’s recognition of our impressive industrial site and the great people that make up this community. I'm looking forward to many years of steady, sustainable growth and warmly welcome Nautilus to town."