Scope of the project
Google will build a 702-megawatt (MW) natural gas fuel-cell project to power its first data center in Wyoming. The project will run alongside carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, and the company expects it to become the largest planned commercial-scale fuel-cell development of its kind.
The fuel cells will be manufactured in the US by Bloom Energy and will convert natural gas into electricity through an electrochemical process. According to Google, this approach will help reduce emissions and water use tied to powering its data infrastructure.
Where the carbon goes
The project will capture a large majority of emissions and transport the captured carbon dioxide to Tallgrass Energy's nearby Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub, which is being developed for commercial-scale CO2 storage in the state. Google says this brings its total contracted CCS capacity to nearly 1 gigawatt.
The company will also source electricity from natural gas generators operated by Tallgrass Energy and Black Hills Energy. A separate engineering study will assess whether CCS can be fitted to Tallgrass's combined-cycle gas turbines.
Limits and local impact
The project will still use natural gas, and the carbon capture system is designed to catch most emissions rather than eliminate them entirely. Google says the facility will use air cooling instead of water-intensive systems to ease pressure on local water resources.
The $17 billion investment is expected to deliver long-term economic benefits to Laramie County and the wider state. Google anticipates hundreds of millions of dollars in local property taxes and support for education, workforce development and skilled-trades training. After a community meeting attended by more than 200 residents, a Community Council is being set up to address the effects of data center expansion.
