Google Eyes Lea County Data Center Project
Google announced on Monday that it is 'exploring' a potential data center in rural Lea County, New Mexico. The company's announcement did not specify what type of data center it hopes to build or when it will present a detailed proposal to the local Board of County Commissioners.
The tech giant stated its goal is 'to be transparent and start our conversation with the community early' while 'many details remain outstanding.' Google has set up a website for the project, leacountydatacenter.com, which says that company leaders are in talks with local officials to determine 'if Lea County is the right fit for a long-term partnership.'
The website displays a pop-up questionnaire asking visitors to select their top two priorities for the development from a list of choices. It also states that water use during construction will average more than 900,000 gallons daily and that its energy source is 'likely to be a mix' of solar, wind, batteries, and a 'moderate amount of firming, gas-powered resources.'
Google expects to create 'hundreds of long-term, operational jobs initially' and thousands of construction jobs. Lea County Board of County Commissioners Chair Tyson Pierce said he did not have many details regarding the site and was unsure if Google is interested in building a hyperscale data center or a smaller cloud computing data center.