Google, Berkshire Utility Partner to Power Nevada Data Centers With Clean Energy

By Kimberley Kao

Alphabet's Google has entered into an agreement with a Berkshire Hathaway electric utility to power its Nevada data centers with geothermal electricity.

The U.S. tech giant said in a statement that the proposed partnership with NV Energy has been sent to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada for approval, and will help Google move toward its goal of running its data centers and offices entirely on carbon-free energy by 2030.

Through the energy supply deal, about 115 megawatts of geothermal electricity, which is generated from the earth's own heat, will be delivered to Google, expanding by about 25 times the amount of enhanced geothermal capacity currently enabled by Google, according to the statement.

"If approved, it provides a blueprint for other utilities and large customers in Nevada to accelerate clean energy goals," said NV Energy Chief Executive Doug Cannon.

The agreement comes as Google and other technology giants have been seeking to meet data centers' sizable power demand in a sustainable manner.

Google said in its 2023 environmental report that it has achieved about 64% round-the-clock carbon-free energy across all its data-center sites, while that number is at about 56% for its offices.

Write to Kimberley Kao at kimberley.kao@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 13, 2024 02:11 ET (06:11 GMT)

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