Google Commits $17B to First Wyoming Data Center With 702 MW Fuel Cell Power
Google announced Nov. 5 that it will build its first Wyoming data center, a $17 billion investment in Laramie County, Construction Today reports. The company is developing it with Tallgrass Energy, Black Hills Energy, American Electric Power (AEP) and data center developer Related Digital.
Market Impact
Power is the unusual part of the package. Google says AEP is contracted to deliver a 702 MW fuel cell development running on natural gas and paired with carbon capture and storage (CCS). Bloom Energy will make the fuel cells in the U.S. Google calls it a first-of-its-kind, commercial-scale project and the largest planned development of its type to date. Most of the carbon emissions are to be stored underground at Tallgrass’s nearby Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub.
Google is also sourcing power from gas generators operated by Tallgrass and Black Hills Energy. It is running a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study on fitting Tallgrass’s combined cycle turbines with CCS. The project lifts Google’s total contracted CCS capacity to nearly 1 gigawatt. The facility will be air-cooled to limit strain on local water supplies, and Google says it will pay for 100% of the power it uses and cover infrastructure needs driven by its growth.
AEP’s side of the deal was covered earlier by FieldNews from Utility Dive: about $4 billion for the 702 MW Cheyenne Fuel Cell project under a 20-year power purchase agreement with Google, with construction expected to start this year and an online date in 2028. By our math, $4 billion is about 24% of the $17 billion headline, but neither source says whether the $17 billion includes AEP’s plant, so treat that ratio as context only.
What the sources do not say: Google has not published a construction start date, a completion date, a phasing plan or an estimate of construction jobs. It is also unclear how the power assets will be sequenced against the campus itself.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Power is part of the scope: The energy side spans fuel cell installation, gas generation, carbon storage infrastructure and engineering studies. Electrical, mechanical, piping and civil contractors in the Rocky Mountain region should look at the power packages as well as the data center shell.
- Carbon storage work: The Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub is where most captured emissions are meant to go. Pipeline, drilling and injection-well service firms should track Tallgrass for scopes tied to CO2 handling.
- No packages named yet: The sources name no general contractors or open bid packages. Ask AEP, Tallgrass, Black Hills Energy and Related Digital directly about procurement timing.
- Labor pool pressure: Construction Today notes that large data center campuses can draw heavily on electricians and pipefitters, and a regional labor pool can tighten quickly when several large projects move at once. Google says it is funding skilled trades training across the state.
- Community scrutiny: After meeting more than 200 Laramie County residents, Google and its partners are setting up a Community Council, and Google expects hundreds of millions of dollars in local property taxes. Permitting and local approvals could shape the schedule.
