On November 5, 2026, Google announced that it will build its first data center in Wyoming, a $17 billion investment in Laramie County, near Cheyenne. The announcement came two days after the US midterm elections, in which voters in 40 of 41 local ballot measures on data centers sided with limits, according to Ballotpedia as reported by Bloomberg. Google's own post frames the project around power, carbon and water.
1. What Google is building
Google calls it a long-term, $17 billion investment in the state. It names four partners: Tallgrass Energy, Black Hills Energy, American Electric Power (AEP) and Related Digital (Google). Google says the data center will be air-cooled to reduce strain on local water supplies.
2. The power plan
The biggest piece is a fuel cell project. Google says it is contracted with AEP for a 702 MW fuel cell development with carbon capture and storage, which it calls the largest planned development of its kind. The fuel cells run on natural gas, and Google says they will be made in America by Bloom Energy (Google).
Carbon capture is the other half of the design. Google says it will capture and permanently store most of the project's carbon emissions at Tallgrass's Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub, and that its total contracted carbon capture capacity rises to nearly 1 gigawatt. Google also says it is buying power from gas generators run by Tallgrass and Black Hills, and is studying whether Tallgrass's combined-cycle turbines can add carbon capture (Google).
3. The timing
Bloomberg reported the announcement alongside the local ballot results, which it cited from Ballotpedia: voters in 40 of 41 local measures backed data center limits on Tuesday's midterm ballot (Bloomberg). Reuters described the project as going ahead amid rising threats of curbs on data centers (Reuters via US News).
4. What Google promises
- Google says it will pay for 100% of the power it uses and cover the infrastructure its growth requires.
- It says it will fund local education, workforce and community programs, and that it has met with more than 200 Laramie County residents.
- It says the air-cooled design protects local water.
5. What to watch
- Whether the 702 MW fuel cell and carbon capture plan is built on the schedule Google and AEP set. Google's post does not give a completion date in the text reviewed here.
- How local limits on data centers, which voters backed in the midterms, affect projects like this one.
- Whether the carbon capture studies on Tallgrass's turbines turn into a contract.
Sources: Google, "Investing in Wyoming's infrastructure, energy and workforce," November 5, 2026; Bloomberg, November 5, 2026; Reuters via US News, November 5, 2026.
FAQ
How big is Google's Wyoming investment?
Google says $17 billion, for its first data center in Wyoming, in Laramie County.
Where does the power come from?
Google says the main source is a 702 MW fuel cell project with AEP that runs on natural gas, with carbon capture and storage. It also says it is buying power from gas generators run by Tallgrass and Black Hills.
Does the data center use a lot of water?
Google says the Wyoming data center will be air-cooled to limit strain on local water supplies.