Summary
Google says it is investing $17 billion in its first Wyoming data center, alongside a planned 702 MW natural-gas fuel-cell development with carbon capture and storage. The project also includes air cooling and proposed investments in local education, workforce development and infrastructure.
Google says it is building its first data center in Wyoming as part of a long-term, $17 billion investment in the state. The project, in Laramie County, is being developed with Tallgrass Energy, Black Hills Energy, American Electric Power (AEP) and Related Digital. Its planned power arrangements include a 702-megawatt natural-gas fuel-cell development with carbon capture and storage (CCS), as well as power from gas generators.
A planned fuel-cell and carbon-storage project
Google says the project is contracted with AEP to feature a commercial-scale fuel-cell development using CCS. The company describes it as the first of its kind at this scale and the largest planned development of its kind to date. Bloom Energy is to manufacture the fuel cells in the United States.
Fuel cells generate electricity through an electrochemical reaction. For this project, the fuel is natural gas. The CCS system is intended to capture a large majority of the resulting carbon emissions and permanently store them underground at Tallgrass Energy’s nearby Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub. Google does not give a capture percentage in its announcement.
The fuel-cell project is part of a broader power plan, not the only source described. Google also says it will source power from gas generators operated by Tallgrass Energy and Black Hills Energy. Separately, the partners are conducting a front-end engineering and design study to assess adding CCS to Tallgrass’s combined-cycle turbines. That study is an evaluation of a possible modification, rather than a commitment in the announcement to install it.
The arrangements connect a large data-center power demand with fuel-cell generation and a nearby geological storage site. Google says the approach is intended to reduce emissions associated with natural-gas generation and advance the commercial use of CCS. The 702 MW fuel-cell and CCS development is planned; the announcement does not describe an operating facility.
Water, infrastructure and local commitments
Google says it will pay for all the power it uses and cover infrastructure needs directly driven by its growth. The data center is also planned to use air cooling, which the company says will minimise strain on local water resources. Google says it will continue investing in local water replenishment efforts.
The company expects the project to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in local property taxes for Laramie County and School District 1. Its stated community plans include K–12 education, workforce development and skilled-trades training, as well as support for local entrepreneurs and STEM education. Google says it has met with more than 200 Laramie County residents at a community meeting in Cheyenne.
Google and its project partners say they are forming a Community Council to develop responses to concerns about the wider effects of data-center growth in Cheyenne. The council is intended to address community issues beyond the boundaries of the individual project, while the investment and power plans will depend on the proposed facilities and partnerships being delivered as described.