The National Security Agency will be taking up residence near Utah County.

The intelligence agency will be building a data center at the National Guard base in Camp Williams near Lehi. The 200-acre facility, which has an initial price tag of $181.5 million, is scheduled to be completed in less than a year, according to NSA construction project documents dated April 2009. The construction of the facility, which will eventually require 65 megawatts of electricity for its technical load, could be completed by March 2013.

The agency, which is in the business of not sharing much information, didn't have much to say about the data center. A statement released by the agency reads:

"The National Security Agency has been designated as the executive agent for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for their data center initiative. ... Following approval of formal requirements and subsequent Intelligence Community evaluation of several potential data center locations throughout the United States, Camp Williams in Utah emerged as the best choice of location."

The NSA did not release any selection criteria.

"Selection of the Utah National Guard property on Camp Williams, Utah, for the data center was based on a detailed process that incorporated 'must have' and 'desired' parameters to determine the optimum site for a data center," according to NSA documents.

The NSA's mission is to protect national security and produce foreign signals intelligence information. This includes connecting people worldwide, dominating global cryptology and creating and using various relationships to keep national security systems secure.

U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said this project has been discussed for years. It will provide more than 1,000 high-paying jobs and be a vital part of the Utah County infrastructure, he said.

"This is great news for our economy and good news for our national security effort," he said.

The initial project is for the basic utility infrastructure and site perimeter security in preparation for the data center. This includes getting necessary utilities and storm water management set up -- $22 million; $6.5 million of site improvements and demolition; and $52.6 million in primary electrical service. Planned security measures include antiterrorism/force protection around the perimeter, at $6.8 million; a $9.4 million interim vehicle inspection center for use during construction; and a survey to ensure that all unexploded ordnance is removed.

This phase of the project does not include actual construction of the building.

Lt. Col. Hank McIntire, spokesman for the Utah National Guard, said an old runway is being removed to make room for the facility, and National Guard missions will continue as before.

"We provided the space, and that's pretty much what we know about the facility," he said.

The mission of the data center, which has a grand total price of almost $2 billion, according to May 2009 NSA documents, is to deliver "responsive, reliable, effective and expert signals intelligence and information assurance products and services, and enables Network Warfare operations to gain a decisive information advantage for the nation and our allies under all circumstances."

According to the NSA's statement, the data center will be a specialized facility that houses computer systems and the necessary supporting equipment.

"I'm pleased the intelligence community has selected Camp Williams through a competitive process as the preferred location for a data center," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said in a statement.