Improper redaction reveals Google Data Center water and electricity usage

Lincoln, Nebraska (KOLN) - Data centers in Nebraska are required to submit an annual report to the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, but redactions in the reports are preventing the public from accessing crucial information regarding electricity and water usage. Google's Agate LLC data center in Lincoln concealed its electricity usage and water usage under trade secret provisions, citing Nebraska statutes.

The same redactions applied to Google's data centers in Omaha and Papillion. A computer cursor highlighting the redacted text and copying it into a separate document revealed the true figures: 52.65 megawatts of electricity during peak demand and 13.299 megagallons of water used for cooling, evaporative systems, and site operations over the previous year.

This amounts to 13 million gallons of water, equivalent to filling around 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

In comparison, the entire water usage of six data centers reported as of September 30 is 765 million gallons, enough to fill 1,159.93 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The data center with the highest annual water consumption is Fireball Group LLC, the Google data center in Papillion, which reports 547.88 megagallons for 2025. A public record request filed on September 30 sought to access the redacted information from Agate LLC's report.

However, the report also shows that Google data centers are anticipating tax refunds from the Nebraska Advantage Act and ImagiNE Nebraska Act. Agate LLC expects a refund of $55,822,472, Fireball LLC expects $39,171,573.39, and Westwood Solutions LLC, the Google-owned data center in Omaha, anticipates a refund of $22,558,881 from 2025 taxes.

The Department of Water, Energy, and Environment Data Center Task Force is overseeing the execution of Governor Jim Pillen's July 20th Executive Order, requiring data centers in the state to self-report their impact on Nebraska's resources, primarily water, power grids, and local infrastructure.