Google plans US$17 billion Wyoming data center with gas and carbon capture
A 702 MW fuel cell facility is set to provide the main electricity supply, with captured carbon destined for underground storage.
Google has announced a long-term investment of US$17 billion to build its first data center in Wyoming. The project, near Cheyenne in Laramie County, will rely largely on natural gas, alongside plans to capture emissions.
American Electric Power’s planned 702 MW facility will use Bloom Energy fuel cells to produce electricity from gas without combustion. AEP announced in October that it intended to spend about US$4 billion on the facility.
POWER Magazine reported that Google’s electricity purchase agreement will last 20 years. Full operation of the fuel cell facility is expected by the end of 2028.
Tallgrass Energy’s Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub will provide underground storage for carbon captured from the fuel cells. Google says the system will capture most of the facility’s emissions, although it has not provided a percentage.
Gas-fired plants run by Black Hills Energy and Tallgrass will also supply electricity. Google is studying the possibility of adding carbon capture to Tallgrass’s turbines. The Wyoming project brings Google’s contracted electricity capacity involving carbon capture to nearly 1 GW.
Google says it will fund its power consumption and necessary grid improvements. Air cooling is planned to conserve water. The company also forecasts hundreds of millions of dollars in property tax revenue benefiting Laramie County and local schools.
