Google Secures Clean Energy Agreements to Power Expanding Data Center Operations in the U.S.
In a move to strengthen the energy capacity supporting its rapidly expanding data center infrastructure, Google has signed separate agreements with U.S. energy companies AES and Xcel Energy to supply electricity to new facilities in Texas and Minnesota, according to Reuters.
The agreement with Xcel Energy will provide up to 1,900 megawatts of clean energy to a new Google data center in Pine Island, Minnesota. The supply mix includes 1,400 MW of wind power, 200 MW of solar energy, and 300 MW of long-duration energy storage. Xcel Energy confirmed that the project will not result in higher costs for existing customers, as Google will fully cover the operating costs of the new data center. Additionally, Google plans to invest $50 million in building a statewide battery network.
Meanwhile, the agreement with AES in Wilbarger County, Texas, includes a 20-year long-term power contract to supply Google’s data centers, along with the development of on-site energy generation infrastructure. This setup is designed to support future scalability and meet the growing demand for Google’s core services, driven largely by increased use of artificial intelligence applications.
These agreements reflect Google’s broader strategy to secure reliable and cleaner energy sources as AI-driven workloads significantly increase electricity demand across global data center networks.