Google announced a $17 billion investment in its first Wyoming data centre on 5 November and pledged to pay 100% of the power costs, the company said in a statement. Google named Tallgrass Energy, Black Hills Energy, American Electric Power (AEP) and Related Digital as partners in the Laramie County project. Its power arrangements include a planned 702 MW fuel-cell installation, while the company and its partners are establishing a council to address concerns about data centre growth in Cheyenne.
Key points
- Google says it will pay for all electricity the data centre uses and cover infrastructure needs directly caused by its growth.
- AEP is contracted for a planned 702 MW fuel-cell project using Bloom Energy equipment and carbon capture.
- Google and five partners are establishing a Community Council to address concerns about Cheyenne’s growth.
- Google expects the project to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes for Laramie County and School District 1.
Google takes on the power costs
Google said its commitment extends beyond the electricity bill to infrastructure needs directly driven by its data centre growth. The planned power supply combines fuel cells with natural gas generators operated by Tallgrass Energy and Black Hills Energy. Google described the Wyoming investment as long-term.
Black Hills had announced definitive agreements to support Google’s Cheyenne development and plans to invest approximately $1.8 billion in new natural gas generation, as AI Affairs previously reported. That planned generation investment belongs to one of the companies supplying power to the data centre. Google’s $17 billion figure describes its wider Wyoming commitment.
Google said the data centre will use air cooling to limit demand on local water resources. It is also conducting a front-end engineering and design study to assess whether carbon capture and storage could be fitted to Tallgrass’s combined-cycle gas turbines. The study concerns that generating equipment, separate from the carbon-capture system planned for the fuel cells.
Cheyenne council brings six partners together
Google said it met more than 200 Laramie County residents at a community meeting in downtown Cheyenne. Participants raised questions about the project’s economic benefits, opportunities for job training and the effects of wider data centre growth on the city, according to the company.
Google, Tallgrass, Black Hills, Related Digital, AEP and fuel-cell manufacturer Bloom Energy are establishing a Community Council to work on Cheyenne’s growth concerns, Google said. The council brings together the data centre developer and companies involved in its power supply. Google said it is also directing grants towards science and technology education, local entrepreneurs and skilled-trades training.
Google expects the development to produce hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes for Laramie County and School District 1. The company said its community investment plans will also focus on school education and workforce development.
AEP’s 702 MW project has a 20-year agreement
Google said it has contracted with AEP for a 702 MW fuel-cell development using equipment made by Bloom Energy. The cells are designed to turn natural gas into electricity through an electrochemical process. Google said the project is intended to capture and permanently store a large majority of its carbon emissions at Tallgrass’s Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub.
AEP announced plans on 14 October to invest approximately $4 billion in the installation, The Miner Mag reported. The publication reported that the fuel-cell development is backed by a 20-year power purchase agreement with Cheyenne Fuel Cell, an entity approximately 92% owned by AEP. Funds advised by Basalt Infrastructure Partners hold the remaining interest.
Google said the Wyoming project brings its contracted US capacity for power projects involving carbon capture and storage to nearly 1 gigawatt. The company said the planned fuel-cell system will use carbon capture technology for geological storage at Tallgrass’s nearby hub.
Construction of the fuel-cell installation is expected to begin in 2026, with full operation targeted by the end of 2028, The Miner Mag reported.
