Google on Tuesday announced plans to build a data center in Minnesota that will run on almost 2 gigawatts of renewable energy and batteries.
The tech giant said it will pay all costs associated with powering the data center in Pine Island, Minnesota, under an electric service agreement with Xcel Energy, Minnesota’s largest utility. The agreement must be approved by state regulators.
The project is the latest in a steady stream of data center projects announced nationwide in recent months, many of which consume a city’s worth of power. But Google and Minneapolis-based Xcel say their agreement, which has yet to be filed with the Public Utilities Commission, should allay concerns about the consumer and environmental impact associated with the project.
“I think this deal looks different than previous deals,” Bria Shea, president of Xcel’s Upper Midwest utilities, said in an interview. “It protects existing customers. It also advances Minnesota’s carbon goals and drives that deep investment into our communities.”
