LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – A sprawling development at I-80 and 56th Street (Highway 77) will one day be a Google data center in Lincoln.
The announcement last August came with praise and fanfare, promising jobs during and after the construction of the $600 million project.
“We know that Lincoln is already on Google’s map, but I’m thrilled to say that Google is officially on Lincoln’s map,” Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said.
Now, Steve Glenn of Lincoln’s Executive Travel company said some of that optimism is chipping away. Glenn, speaking for an organization of business owners called PRESNET, wrote a letter to the Lincoln mayor and city council, urging action.
“We support the Google data center,” Glenn said in an interview. “However, we don’t want Google to just use Lincoln’s low electric rates and cause them to go up for the rest of the community.”
Glenn pointed a worried finger at Omaha.
“They have multiple data centers, and they’re seeing skyrocketing electric rates,” Glenn said.
10/11 News reached out to the Omaha Public Power District, which provided this statement: “OPPD is proud to serve its growing communities and customers, including data centers. Like LES, our customers continue to enjoy some of the lowest rates in the region and nation. Over the past several years, including those when we have served data centers, OPPD has seen steady rates with modest increases only. As a public power utility, we take seriously our mission to serve customers affordably, reliably and sustainably.”
Scott Benson is the manager of resource and transmission planning at LES, and he said the grid in Lincoln is part of a much larger power pool, spanning from northern Texas to the Canadian border. That means a lot of difference sources feed into the grid. Roughly, it breaks down to 35% natural gas, 35% renewables and 30% coal.
With that medley, Benson said the grid is resilient and ready to keep up with what he says is the “large load” of a data center.
“The infrastructure we’re putting in place both now and in the future is going to provide that fair and reliable service to Google, but not put undue burden on our existing customers,” he said.
A Google spokesperson pointed to a project the corporation is spear-heading with OPPD to bring more renewable power to Nebraska and said, in part, “At all our data centers, Google is dedicated to collaborating with our utility partners to ensure we are paying our fair share of the needed energy infrastructure improvements without impacting the rates of other customers.”
Glenn said he’s pushing for more transparency in the process, and he said he hopes Google brings its own power.
“We think a perfect compromise, a balanced approach, is support the Google data center but require them to generate their own electricity from sources of wind and solar,” Glenn said.
Click here to subscribe to our 10/11 NOW daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Copyright 2024 KOLN. All rights reserved.