Google making big NC expansion news – but don’t expect many jobs

Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) is going to announce a major expansion of its huge $600 million data center in Lenoir, N.C. today – but don’t expect the search giant to be doing a lot of new hiring to staff it.

Sources tell WRAL News that the money dollar will be big, the job number low – unless one factors in construction employment that will increase for the project build’s duration and then some additional jobs in the community to supply services to Google.

Some 110 people staff the center currently, according to Google, although more than 200 jobs were expected to be created when the center was first announced.

Lenoir and North Carolina won the data center in 2007, and since then the state has become a haven for these big power-consuming, modern facilities that – unfortunately – require few people to operate.

“Your instincts are correct,” said one source familiar with the announcement when told that the deal sounded as if few jobs were involved.

For example, there is no meeting scheduled today of the state committee which reviews and then must approve tax incentives such as Job Development Investment Grants.

However, the dollar investment could be huge. Data centers, which are popping up all over North Carolina, aren’t cheap.

And although there aren’t a big number of jobs created, the politicians are going to be out in force.

The VIP list for the event, which is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and run 90 minutes, is topped by the governor. (You know how politicians like to talk about jobs …)

The list: