Nebraska to Get New Data Centers, Power Capacity

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Last week, Google Incorporated (Mountain View, California) officials confirmed that parent company Alphabet Incorporated (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (Mountain View) is at work on a data center in Lincoln, Nebraska, expanding Google's footprint in the state. The company has existing campuses less than 60 miles up the road in the Omaha area, where Google is constructing a facility in Omaha and has an existing campus in Papillion, which is on the southeastern outskirts of the city. To help meet the power demand brought about by a cluster of data centers around Papillon, Omaha Public Power District (Omaha) is placing additional power capacity in the area.

While the cat was already out of the bag, last week Google executives officially confirmed that the company was behind the project on a 580-acre site in Lincoln, where ground preparation has begun. Construction of the initial facilities at the Lincoln site will be the first phase of a multi-phase project that could eventually encompass an investment of $600 million. Construction is expected to begin soon, and the first stage of the facility could be operational by next summer. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Industrial Manufacturing Project Database can click here for more information.

The Lincoln campus joins Google's construction on a grassroot facility about 60 miles northeast in Omaha, where the company this summer broke ground on the first phase of construction of what is envisioned as a 1.43 million-square-foot data center complex. Phase I construction includes utility buildings to support further expansion and is expected to be completed in the first half of next year, by which time construction on an additional building will have begun. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project reports on Building 1 and Building 2.

Google officials announced that the company will be investing $1.2 billion in Nebraska this year, building on $2.2 billion already invested in the state. Much of the prior investment has gone into the company's data center in Papillion, on the southeastern outskirts of Omaha, in Sarpy County. The campus includes three data center buildings, with plans for further expansion. Construction of a fourth building could potentially begin this year, increasing the area by 450,000 square feet. Subscribers can click here for more details.

Facebook parent Meta Platforms Incorporated (NASDAQ:META) (Menlo Park, California) also has a campus in Papillion, and is underway with an expansion there. The expansion began last summer and entails constructing two buildings totaling 751,000 square feet in what could pave the way for even more expansion projects at the campus. General contractor Turner Construction Company (New York, New York) is expected to wrap up the project in the second half of next year. Subscribers can click here for more information.

This massive buildout of power-hungry data centers in Sarpy County has led Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), whose service area includes Papillion, to launch an expansion of power capacity in the area. In Sarpy County, OPPD has begun work on the Turtle Creek Power Station, a peaking station that will be able to provide up to 450 megawatts (MW) of additional power in times of high demand. The facility will include two 250-MW simple-cycle combustion turbines that can burn both natural gas and fuel oil. Construction kicked off in early 2022, and the first turbine was delivered in late December of last year. The plant is expected be operational in the first half of 2024. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Power Project Database can click here for more details.

The Turtle Creek facility joins another peaking station being added by OPPD: the Standing Bear Lake station in the northwestern outskirts of Greater Omaha. This facility will include nine reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE) that can burn natural gas, fuel oil and hydrogen. The 16-MW RICE units will provide a combined 144 MW of additional power capacity when needed. Construction is expected to be completed in the near future. Subscribers can click here to learn more.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).