Google to Invest $17 Billion in First Data Center in Wyoming
Key Facts
Google, a unit of Alphabet, said on November 5, 2026, that it would invest $17 billion over the long term to build its first data center in Wyoming, an investment in AI infrastructure, Reuters reported. The planned project is in Cheyenne, with electricity supplies tied to agreements extending over coming years. The announcement puts a major investment in computing infrastructure alongside the practical challenge of securing the power the center needs. Black Hills said service would begin in late 2027, with the project reaching peak loads in 2030. Google is thus seeking to establish a new site in a state where it has not previously had a data center, according to the company.
The power arrangements include up to 590 megawatts of grid-connected service, alongside management of output from about 2.1 gigawatts of contracted resources in Wyoming through a private electric grid, Black Hills said. The company also plans to invest $1.8 billion between 2027 and 2029 to build 564 megawatts of generation capacity it will own. The service agreements run through 2048, tying the center’s power supply to a plan spanning more than two decades. Black Hills said Google would bear all costs associated with serving the center over the project’s life, and that the agreements protect existing retail customers from having those costs shifted to them. The structure reflects the project’s reliance on a mix of grid service, contracted resources and new dedicated generation.
The site details indicate that the data center will be built at the Switchgrass industrial park, 8 miles south of Cheyenne, according to a September 2026 report by Wyoming Public Media. The report quoted Google as saying construction could provide about 2,500 local jobs at peak activity, followed by about 250 long-term operating jobs. These figures estimate staffing across the project’s different phases, from construction to operations. The electricity arrangements also extend beyond the construction period, with service expected to begin in late 2027 before loads peak in 2030. The figures remain estimates cited in company and local media reports about the project plan.
The announcement comes as data center expansion faces growing political scrutiny in the United States. Reuters said victories by candidates opposing data center expansion in prominent Texas and Georgia races added to investors’ concerns about political resistance to the sector’s growth. Those concerns extended to infrastructure-related stocks, with Bloom Energy shares falling more than 14% on November 5 amid investor concern that potential restrictions could affect the industry. Bloom Energy was a fuel-cell supplier to the project, Reuters reported, though its report did not specify further details about the effect of the decline on the agreement. These developments place the Wyoming center’s power arrangements within a broader debate over community and political acceptance of expanding computing facilities.
The project extends Google’s data center expansion in the United States; EL7 coverage on October 30, 2026, reported a $7 billion plan by the company in West Virginia. In Wyoming, Black Hills expects the project to generate about $150 million in net income in 2030. That estimate adds an expected return for the energy supplier to Google’s announced investment, but it pertains to Black Hills and is not an estimate of Google’s return. The announced milestones remain the start of power service in late 2027, followed by rising loads through 2030. The supply agreements run through 2048, according to Black Hills.