Technology giant Google announced on Thursday that it has signed its first corporate agreement to purchase electricity from a power plant in the United States that uses carbon capture and storage technology. The cooperation aims to provide energy support for its data centers located in the Midwestern United States.
Large technology companies are planning to vigorously develop technologies such as generative artificial intelligence, which consume massive amounts of electricity. However, the current US power grid is facing a real problem of power supply shortage, and the contradiction between the two is becoming increasingly prominent.
This situation has prompted Google and other companies to announce in recent months that they will fund projects to build and expand power plants across the United States.
Google's recent energy cooperation agreements cover a variety of areas, including the purchase of electricity from advanced nuclear reactors, geothermal and hydroelectric power projects. At the same time, Google is also working with the PJM Interconnection, the largest power grid operator in the United States - which covers the most densely populated areas of data centers in the world - to speed up the connection of new power supplies.
Google's latest power purchase agreement involves a 400-megawatt power plant in Decatur, Illinois. The plant, developed by privately held Low Carbon Infrastructure, is expected to be operational in the early 2030s. Its power generation process will use carbon capture technology, which can capture about 90% of carbon dioxide emissions and inject it into underground storage.
Google did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement.
Michael Terrell, head of Google's advanced energy department, said that in the current energy layout, "natural gas power generation that can capture and store carbon dioxide" has been a missing link.
“We have long been focused on promoting the development of various clean energy technologies that provide 24-hour power, and (natural gas power generation with carbon capture) is an important piece of the puzzle,” Terrell said. “This is a critical technology that is urgently needed around the world.”
The power project, called Broadwing, will be built on an existing industrial site owned by agribusiness company Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). Since 2017, ADM has been injecting carbon dioxide produced during ethanol production into underground storage. In the future, ADM will also have the right to purchase electricity from the power plant, and the initial power produced by the plant will be connected to the public grid.
Google and low-carbon infrastructure companies said they plan to promote the construction of more carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities in the United States, but did not disclose specific site selection and time plans.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) both list carbon capture and storage technology as an important means to reduce emissions from fossil fuel power generation and heavy industry. However, critics still question the cost, scalability and long-term effectiveness of the technology.