Google Partners on Carbon Capture Power Plant to Fuel Midwest Data Center Expansion

Tech Giant Backs Innovative Power Solution

Google has entered into what sources describe as the first corporate agreement to purchase electricity from a U.S. power plant utilizing carbon capture and storage technology. According to reports, the deal will help fuel the company’s data centers across the Midwest region as demand for computational power, particularly for artificial intelligence applications, continues to surge.

Tech Giant Backs Innovative Power Solution
Addressing Grid Constraints Through Diversification
Project Specifications and Timeline
Strategic Importance of Carbon Capture
Proven Location and Commercial Viability
Future Expansion and Industry Context

Addressing Grid Constraints Through Diversification

The move comes amid what analysts suggest are significant constraints in U.S. power grid capacity, particularly as Big Tech companies expand energy-intensive technologies like generative AI. Reports indicate this has prompted a series of announcements in recent months regarding companies helping fund new and expanded power generation facilities nationwide.

Google’s power procurement strategy has reportedly included electricity from advanced nuclear reactors, geothermal, and hydropower sources. The company is also reportedly collaborating with PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest power grid operator covering the world’s highest concentration of data centers, to accelerate new power supply connections.

Project Specifications and Timeline

The latest agreement involves a 400-megawatt power plant in Decatur, Illinois, being developed by privately held Low Carbon Infrastructure. The facility is expected to begin operations in the early 2030s and will utilize carbon capture technology that reportedly traps approximately 90% of CO2 emissions for underground injection.

Construction is projected to span four years and create approximately 650 union labor positions along with 100 construction management and support staff roles, according to the companies involved. The report states that project financing is expected to reach final investment decision in the first half of 2026.

Strategic Importance of Carbon Capture

Michael Terrell, Google’s head of Advanced Energy, indicated that natural gas-fired power with carbon capture had been missing from the company’s clean energy portfolio. “We’ve been really focused on advancing all these new technologies for around-the-clock clean technologies and this is an important piece of the puzzle,” Terrell stated, describing it as “a very important technology that the world needs.”

Proven Location and Commercial Viability

The Broadwing project will be constructed at an existing industrial site operated by agribusiness company Archer Daniels Midland, which reportedly has experience with underground carbon dioxide injection from ethanol production. Jonathan Wiens, CEO of Low Carbon Infrastructure, asserted that “Broadwing demonstrates that carbon capture can be commercially viable today.”

Carbon sequestered at the facility will be permanently stored in specialized wells located 5,000-7,000 feet underground. ADM will also have the ability to purchase power from the operation, which will initially deliver electricity to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator covering 15 Midwest states and multiple Google data centers.

Future Expansion and Industry Context

Google and Low Carbon Infrastructure reportedly plan to pursue additional carbon capture and storage facilities across the United States, though specific locations and timelines have not been disclosed.

Carbon capture technology has been promoted by international organizations including the International Energy Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as an emissions reduction tool for fossil fuel-based power and heavy industry. However, critics have questioned its cost, scalability, and long-term effectiveness, suggesting further validation is needed.

The partnership represents a significant step in corporate support for carbon capture technology while addressing the practical energy requirements of expanding digital infrastructure, according to industry observers.