{
  "id": 11998189,
  "title": "Improper redaction reveals Google Data Center water and electricity usage",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/improper-redaction-reveals-google-data-center-water-and-electricity",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-04T19:37:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hacker News",
    "slug": "hacker-news",
    "url": "https://www.1011now.com/2026/09/30/more-questions-than-answers-about-lincolns-google-data-center-water-electricity-usage/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Lincoln, Nebraska (KOLN) - Data centers in Nebraska must submit an annual report to the state's Department of Water, Energy, and Environment; however, privacy laws are preventing the public from seeing the exact amount of electricity and water these facilities consume. Google's Agate LLC data center in Lincoln, which includes sites in Omaha and Papillion, claimed their electricity usage and water usage were protected trade secrets under Neb. Rev. State §§ 81-1527; 84-712.05 and NAC TITLE 115, CH. 2. Despite this claim, the reports reveal that Agate LLC reported 52.65 megawatts of electricity during peak demand and 13.299 megagallons of water used in cooling systems, evaporative processes, and operations.\n\nTo illustrate, 13 million gallons of water is enough to fill approximately 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools. This amount is less than half of what the City of Lincoln reports using on September 29. According to the reports from six data centers submitted by September 30, the combined water usage totals 765 million gallons, enough to fill 1,159.93 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The data center with the highest water consumption is Fireball Group LLC, Google's Papillion facility, which reports 547.88 megagallons for 2025.\n\nA public record request filed on September 30 sought to access redacted information from Agate LLC's report. The same improper redaction also reveals how much Google data centers anticipate in tax refunds. Agate LLC expects a refund of $55,822,472 from 2025 taxes, Fireball LLC anticipates $39,171,573.39, and Westwood Solutions LLC, the Omaha-based Google data center, expects $22,558,881 in refunds. These amounts represent gross floor area of 288,530 square feet - equivalent to roughly five football fields. The Department of Water, Energy, and Environment Data Center Task Force is responsible for overseeing data centers' self-reporting of their impact on Nebraska's resources, including water, power grids, and local infrastructure. Reports must be submitted by September 30, and can be viewed by entering \"DCR\" into the \"DEQ Program\" field on the department's website.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}