● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 negative
Improper Redaction Reveals Google Data Center Water and Electricity Usage in Nebraska
Key points
- Google's Nebraska data centers claimed water/electricity usage as trade secrets.
- Improper redaction revealed specific usage and expected 2025 tax refunds.
- Agate LLC (Lincoln) used 52.65 MW electricity and 13.299 megagallons water.
- Fireball LLC (Papillion) reported 547.88 megagallons for 2025 water consumption.
Redaction Failure Exposes Data Center Details
Annual reports submitted by Nebraska data centers to the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE) are subject to public disclosure, though some information can be withheld as trade secrets. Google's data centers, including Agate LLC in Lincoln, Fireball Group LLC in Papillion, and Westwood Solutions LLC in Omaha, claimed their electricity and water usage as trade secret information.
However, improper redaction in these reports allowed the specific figures to be revealed. By highlighting and copying the redacted text, the data became accessible, providing details on the operational footprint of these facilities.
Specific Usage Figures Revealed
Agate LLC, Google's Lincoln data center, reported 52.65 megawatts of electricity during peak demand and 13.299 megagallons (13 million gallons) of water usage over the last year. This water volume is equivalent to about 20 Olympic-size swimming pools. The total water usage across six reporting data centers in Nebraska was 765 million gallons last year.
Fireball Group LLC, the Google data center in Papillion, was identified as the largest water user, reporting 547.88 megagallons for its 2025 annual water consumption.
Expected Tax Refunds Disclosed
Further improper redaction also revealed the expected tax refunds for Google's data centers in 2025. Agate LLC anticipates a refund of $55,822,472, Fireball LLC expects $39,171,573.39, and Westwood Solutions LLC projects $22,558,881.
These figures indicate the financial incentives Google's data centers expect to receive under Nebraska's tax programs, despite reports stating no rebates or incentive payments have been received to date under the Nebraska Advantage Act or ImagiNE Nebraska Act.
Context and Oversight
The revealed water usage provides context for the environmental impact of these facilities; for example, 13 million gallons for Agate LLC is less than half of what the City of Lincoln reported using on a single day. The gross floor area for Agate LLC is 288,530 square feet.
The Department of Water, Energy, and Environment Data Center Task Force is responsible for overseeing these reports and related activities.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
Improper redaction in annual reports submitted to Nebraska's Department of Water, Energy, and Environment revealed specific water and electricity usage for Google's data centers. The reports, which Google had claimed as trade secrets, also disclosed expected tax refunds for 2025. This information provides insight into the environmental impact and financial incentives associated with large data center operations.