Power
Power and the grid
52.6 MW energized
Grid power: Lincoln Electric SystemServing the campus
peak demand reported for 2025 (press); the utility is city-owned and no service contract is public News report · 2025
Energized now
Related generation and energy contracts (context, not added to campus supply)
- Wind capacity agreements with Google (423 MW added to the utility's portfolio) Contracted423 MW; capacity added to the utility's portfolio to help support the campus (utility release, May 2025) Utility regulator · Oct. 2026
Getting on the grid
Who supplies what, what it costs, and what is still not public.
- 2025Wind capacity beginsLincoln Electric System starts receiving capacity from two Oklahoma wind farms under agreements with Google. Utility regulator · Oct. 2026
- May 16, 2025Utility board adds generation and a rate increaseLincoln Electric System approves a 4% rate adjustment for added gas turbines and hydro; it says the Google wind deal does not drive that need. Utility regulator · Oct. 2026
- Not setCustomer pays for its substationLarge customers fund their own substations, as Google agreed to for this campus (press). News report · Oct. 2026
- Not setService agreement not publicNo electric service agreement or rate schedule for the campus is on record. see Permits
- The wind agreements give the utility capacity to meet regional resource rules. They carry no energy and no renewable attributes, so they are not power delivered to the campus. Utility regulator · Oct. 2026
- The utility is municipal public power, so its budgets and rates are set by its own board and the Lincoln City Council, not the state commission. Utility regulator · Oct. 2026
Permits
Permits checklist
1 granted · 3 checked, nothing on file
Approvals this campus needed, and what the records show.
- ✓Cooling water main agreement GrantedLincoln City Council · Feb. 9, 2026: unanimous (press); Agate funds an estimated $10.5M main that the city will own News report · Oct. 2026
- –Checked, nothing on file: Air permit for backup generators, Zoning and site plan approvals, Utility service agreement
Risks
What could slow it down
- MediumWater limits on expansionThe city determined a second data center would put undue stress on its water, and any expansion of the Google campus must comply with its water plan (press). News report · Oct. 2026
- MediumTransparency scrutinyA Sept. 29, 2026 congressional letter to Alphabet asks for every data center's code names and nondisclosure agreements; it does not name Lincoln, though the campus used a code name (Project Agate) and withheld figures as trade secrets. State agency · Oct. 2026
- WatchUtility supply pressureLincoln Electric System is adding gas and hydro capacity under a 4% rate increase; it says the Google wind deal is not the cause. Utility regulator · Oct. 2026
- WatchIncentive rules tighteningA July 2026 order ended one state incentive for new data centers; this campus's refunds come under an older program (press). News report · Oct. 2026
Money
Money on record
$55.8M
Nebraska Advantage tax refunds expected on 2025 taxes (press)
no payments under the newer ImagiNE Act News report · Oct. 2026
$10.5M
cooling water main Agate will fund for the city (press, from a meeting summary)
approved Feb. 9, 2026 News report · Oct. 2026
$1.2B
Google's 2023 Nebraska announcement
covers Lincoln, Omaha and Papillion, not Lincoln alone Company · Oct. 2026
Timeline
What happened, and what is due
SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
- July 25, 2019Permits A state design commission recommends approval of the site, then code-named Project Agate. Local government · Oct. 2026
- Oct. 2023Site Google announces $1.2B in new Nebraska investment across Lincoln, Omaha and Papillion. Company · Oct. 2026
- Nov. 2024Site Google celebrates its Nebraska investment; the Lincoln campus is cited at $600M (press). News report · Nov. 2024
- 2025Power The utility begins receiving wind capacity from the Bluestem project under its agreements with Google. Utility regulator · Oct. 2026
- May 16, 2025Power Lincoln Electric System says the Google wind capacity supports the new data center, and approves a 4% rate increase for other added generation. Utility regulator · Oct. 2026
- Feb. 9, 2026Site Lincoln City Council approves a cooling water main agreement with Agate LLC (press). News report · Oct. 2026
- July 21, 2026Permits The governor's executive order sets annual data center reporting and a task force. State agency · Oct. 2026
- Sept. 2026Permits Agate LLC files its 2025 state report; press recovers redacted figures of 52.65 MW and 13.3M gallons. News report · Oct. 2026
- Oct. 2026Site Lincoln says a second data center would strain its water supply, and any Google expansion must meet its water plan (press). News report · Oct. 2026
- 2031Power The wind capacity agreements with Lincoln Electric System expire. Utility regulator · Oct. 2026
Construction activity
Building activity by quarter
Since May 2025: 3 building permits (3 issued or finished); the largest lists a $1.2M job value; 2 FAA filings (March 2026 to April 2026): tallest crane 400 ft (March 2026). Job values are not added up: trade permits often repeat the whole project's value.
Building permits
FAA filings
’26
Dot size: records in the quarter, largest = 3. Two-digit years mark each first quarter.
The buildings
Specs
Up to 2M sq ft
plans indicate the campus could expand to this size over time (press)
- Third in Nebraska: after Google's Papillion and Omaha campuses Local government · Oct. 2026
Who is involved
Owners, partners and builders
Owners and developers
- Google: owner, operator and sole tenant
- Agate LLC: site owner and project entity
- Project Agate: the campus's code name in 2019 records
Power
- Lincoln Electric System: municipal serving utility
- Southwest Power Pool: regional grid operator
Decision-makers
- Lincoln City Council: water main agreement and utility rates
- Nebraska Capitol Environs Commission: 2019 design review
- Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment: annual reports and task force
Builders on site
- General Excavating: 3 building permits
Still unknown
Open questions
- Google's own MW figure and the electric service terms.
- Which buildings are operating and what comes next.
- Zoning and site approvals.
- Air permit for backup generators.
Where this comes from
119 records from 26 documents
Drawn from news reports, public and commercial datasets, local government records, state agency records, utility regulator dockets, company statements and our own analysis, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.
News report 12Dataset 6Local government 3State agency 3Utility regulator 2Company 1Analysis 1
Evidence
Every quote behind this page
Grade key: A = the primary record itself (permit, filing, exhibit) · B = a dated official statement · C = news reporting. Map distances are our own measurements on OpenStreetMap and carry no grade. Allegations in lawsuits are marked as such in the quotes.
Power (15)
- Nearest substation of 345 kV or more: 11.236 kmMeasured on OpenStreetMap map data.
- Nearest power line of 345 kV or more: 0.475 kmMeasured on OpenStreetMap map data.
- Nearest gas pipeline: 9.229 kmMeasured on OpenStreetMap map data.
- Utility: Lincoln Electric System (LES)“LES recently added a total of 423 MW of wind capacity to its portfolio through an agreement with Google to help support Lincoln's new Google data center”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Grid operator: SPP (Southwest Power Pool)“LES' regional transmission organization, the Southwest Power Pool, has developed new resource adequacy regulations”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Regulatory jurisdiction: No Nebraska PSC rate jurisdiction: LES is municipal public power; the LES Administrative Board and the Lincoln City Council approve budgets and rates“The Lincoln City Council will now consider the proposed budget amendment and rate adjustment at a public hearing.”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- IT capacity: not stated“The Lincoln, Nebraska data center comes online.”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Stated campus size: not stated“The data center in Lincoln will be the third in Nebraska launched by Google since 2019 and located northwest of 56th Street and Interstate 80”Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- On-site generation: not stated“The proposed permit, statement of basis, permit application, and a copy of this public notice document are available online at: http://lincoln.ne.gov, keyword search air”Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- LES added 423 MW of wind CAPACITY to its portfolio through its agreement with Google (Great Western 225 MW + Bluestem 198 MW, both Oklahoma, capacity-only, no energy or renewable attributes, expires 2031), stated by LES“LES recently added a total of 423 MW of wind capacity to its portfolio through an agreement with Google to help support Lincoln's new Google data center”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- LES is adding two natural-gas combustion turbines at Terry Bundy Generating Station (+100 MW) and a 22 MW Jeffrey Hydro PPA to meet SPP resource-adequacy rules, funded by a 4% rate adjustment; LES states the Google wind“LES plans to add two natural gas combustion turbines at Terry Bundy Generating Station, which will add 100 MW of capacity”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Power plan: grid, LES retail service; customer-funded substation; no public electric service agreement“OPPD and LES require large industrial customers to pay for their own substations and other infrastructure, as Google agreed to do for its new Lincoln data center”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Agate LLC claimed its electricity and water figures as trade secrets in its DWEE filing (Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-1527, 84-712.05; NAC Title 115 Ch. 2); the redaction was improperly applied (selectable text) and KOLN recovered“Google asked that power and water use at three data centres in Nebraska — Lincoln, Omaha and Papillion — be treated as trade secrets”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Measured peak electricity demand at the Lincoln (Agate LLC) campus: 52.65 MW in report year 2025, per Agate LLC's Nebraska DWEE annual report (a state filing), recovered after a redaction failure and reported Sep-Oct 202“Agate LLC's Lincoln facility reported 52.65 megawatts of peak electrical demand, a measure of maximum draw at a given moment rather than total annual consumption.”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Utility service: 52.65 MW“The Lincoln data centre's maximum power demand was 52.65 MW”News report · 2025 · grade C
Money and contracts (31)
- Tenants: Google“Our data center communities in Nebraska (Lincoln, Omaha, and Papillion)”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Tenant status: owner-occupied; no third-party tenant“The Lincoln, Nebraska data center comes online.”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- capacity agreement (wind): scope 225 MW“LES entered into an agreement with Google for all capacity associated with the full 225-MW project, consisting of 93 wind turbines”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- capacity agreement (wind): exclusion“This agreement, which expires in 2031, does not include any energy or renewable attributes”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- capacity agreement (wind): term / expiry“LES began receiving capacity from the Great Western Wind Project in 2025”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- capacity agreement (wind): project identity“This project is located in Woodward & Ellis County, Oklahoma”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- capacity agreement (wind): scope 198 MW“LES entered into an agreement with Google for all capacity associated with the full 198-MW project, consisting of 60 wind turbines”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- capacity agreement (wind): term / expiry“LES began receiving capacity from the Bluestem Wind Project in 2025”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- capacity agreement (wind): project identity“This project is located in Beaver County, Oklahoma”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- capacity agreement (wind, combined): scope / stated purpose 423 MW“LES recently added a total of 423 MW of wind capacity to its portfolio through an agreement with Google to help support Lincoln's new Google data center”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- electric service: finding, agreement text not public“no ESA or service contract for the Lincoln campus located”grade B
- electric service: finding, minimum billing / termination clauses not public“no rate schedule or clause language for the campus located”grade B
- Google announced $1.2 billion in new Nebraska investment in 2023 across Lincoln, Omaha and Papillion, statewide figure, not Lincoln campus capex.“Google announces $1.2 billion in new investment across Nebraska to support our data center growth in Lincoln, Omaha, and Papillion”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Google claims more than $15 billion invested in Nebraska to date since 2019, statewide, all campuses; not a Lincoln figure.“Google has invested more than $15 billion in the state”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Google announced $1.2 billion in new Nebraska investment in 2023 supporting data center growth in Lincoln, Omaha, and Papillion (company milestone list).“Google announces $1.2 billion in new investment across Nebraska to support our data center growth in Lincoln, Omaha, and Papillion.”Company · Dec. 2023 · grade B
- Building sq ft reported: 288530 sq ft“Facility Size: 288,530 square feet”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Nebraska advantage exemption expected: 55822472 USD“Expected 2025 Tax Refund: $55,822,472”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- electric service: infrastructure cost allocation“OPPD and LES require large industrial customers to pay for their own substations and other infrastructure, as Google agreed to do for its new Lincoln data center”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- cooling water main agreement: scope“Lincoln approved an Agate LLC agreement for a noncontact cooling water main to serve a data center”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- cooling water main agreement: funding 10500000 USD“Agate will fund construction (estimate $10.5M) and the city will set a special operating rate”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- cooling water main agreement: ownership / conveyance“approved an agreement with Agate LLC for construction and eventual city ownership of a noncontact cooling water main to carry clean, chilled discharge from a proposed data center to the city's northeast wastewater treatment facility”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- cooling water main agreement: rate“the city will set a special operating rate”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- cooling water main agreement: finding, executed text not retrieved“Feb 9, 2026 Agate item not located in the search index”grade C
- tax incentive (Nebraska Advantage Act): expected refund 55822472 USD“The Lincoln facility expected refunds of $55,822,472 of the taxes paid in 2025”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- tax incentive (ImagiNE Nebraska Act): absence, no payments“they did not receive and did not plan to receive incentive payments under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Sq ft operating: 288530 sq ft“The Lincoln facility expected refunds of $55,822,472 of the taxes paid in 2025”News report · 2025 · grade C
- Incentive program: Nebraska Advantage Act sales/use tax refunds; no ImagiNE Nebraska Act payments“the facilities used or planned to use sales and use tax exemptions under the Nebraska Advantage Act, while they did not receive and did not plan to receive incentive payments under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act”News report · 2025 · grade C
- Incentive value stated: 55822472 USD“The Lincoln facility expected refunds of $55,822,472 of the taxes paid in 2025”News report · 2025 · grade C
- Sq ft planned: 2000000 sq ft“Plans indicate the facility could expand to 2 million square feet over time”News report · Nov. 2024 · grade C
- Stated capital cost: 600000000 USD“the new $600 million Lincoln data center will create hundreds of construction jobs and dozens of permanent, well-paid positions”News report · Nov. 2024 · grade C
- Land price: 18600000 USD“Google acquired the land for $18.6 million and applied for $600 million in state tax incentives”News report · Nov. 2024 · grade C
Permits and government (16)
- design review (Capitol Environs District): recommended approval“The Nebraska Capitol Environs Commission (NCEC) met July 25, 2019 on an agenda which included consideration of and recommendations regarding Project AGATE”Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade A
- Nebraska Capitol Environs Commission: Project AGATE, design review of proposed data center south of Bluff Road, west of Highway 77“An excerpt from NCEC's meeting record is attached, recommending approval of the proposal”Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade A
- air construction / operating permit: no permit notice found, documented absence“The proposed permit, statement of basis, permit application, and a copy of this public notice document are available online at: http://lincoln.ne.gov, keyword search air”Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Governor Pillen's Executive Order 26-17 (Jul 2026) created the DWEE Data Center Task Force and instituted annual data-center reporting (reports due Sep 30, 2026), the framework that produced Agate LLC's filing and the 5“Authorized by Governor Jim Pillen's Executive Order (EO 26-17) and overseen by the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE)”State agency · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Lincoln Electric System Administrative Board: Mid-year 2025 budget amendment and 4% systemwide rate adjustment to fund added generation (Terry Bundy combustion turbines +100 MW; Jeffrey Hydro 22 MW PPA) under SPP resourc“The Lincoln Electric System Administrative Board approved a resolution to amend the 2025 LES Budget and implement a 4% systemwide rate adjustment”Utility regulator · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- FAA OE/AAA: Determined - No Hazard“ASN 2026-ACE-1908-OE: NBF 3, Mobile Crane, 320 ft AGL, 1523 ft AMSL, 40.90005,-96.66100, Determined - No Hazard, submitted 2026-04-23”FAA · April 2026 · grade B
- FAA OE/AAA: Determined - No Hazard“ASN 2026-ACE-62-OE: Data Center, Mobile Crane, 400 ft AGL, 1625 ft AMSL, 40.90466,-96.65671, Determined - No Hazard, submitted 2026-03-31”FAA · March 2026 · grade B
- building permit: Fire sprinkler system: complete“Permit number: FSP24053 · Type: Fire sprinkler system · Status: complete · Job value: $1,179,560 · Effective date: May 16, 2025 · Business: General Excavating · Address: 5475 Cloud Ct · Description: B2303603 - data center building dc-1a”Local building-permit records · May 2025 · grade B
- building permit: Fire sprinkler system: complete“Permit number: FSP24055 · Type: Fire sprinkler system · Status: complete · Job value: $26,825 · Effective date: May 16, 2025 · Business: General Excavating · Address: 5475 Cloud Ct · Description: Data center fire pump building”Local building-permit records · May 2025 · grade B
- building permit: Fire sprinkler system: complete“Permit number: FSP24057 · Type: Fire sprinkler system · Status: complete · Job value: $23,301 · Effective date: May 16, 2025 · Business: General Excavating · Address: 5475 Cloud Ct · Description: Data center pmpt building”Local building-permit records · May 2025 · grade B
- state data-center annual report: annual report filed; usage figures claimed trade-secret“Google submitted a report with the water use and peak power demand of its Lincoln, Nebraska, data centre marked as confidential, but key figures were exposed after the black redaction could be undone by simple copy-and-paste”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- The same executive-order package ended ImagiNE Nebraska Act incentive access for NEW data-center projects; existing projects such as Agate (which reports Nebraska Advantage refunds instead, and no ImagiNE payments) are u“Gov. Jim Pillen last month signed an executive order ending state tax incentives for data center projects”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Lincoln joined the C40 cities data-center pact; the city has determined a second data center would put undue stress on Lincoln's water resources, and any expansion of the Google campus must comply with the City's Water M“the city of Lincoln determined that a second data center would put undue stress on Lincoln's water resources”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Lancaster County halted a proposed data-center moratorium vote and created a county data-center task force (recommendations due end of Dec 2026); commissioners note data centers require industrial zoning, of which the co“the board halted plans to vote on a potential moratorium”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Lincoln City Council: Agreement with Agate LLC for a noncontact cooling water main (Agate-funded construction, est. $10.5M; city ownership; special operating rate)“Council recorded unanimous approval”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Lancaster County Board of Commissioners (staff meeting): Data-center siting discussion: proposed county moratorium; industrial-zoning constraint“County Commissioner Sean Flowerday said earlier this month that any land will need to be zoned as industrial to get a permit to start data center development”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
Site and other (18)
- Site location: northwest of 56th Street and Interstate 80, Lincoln, NE (south of Bluff Road, west of Highway 77)“Project AGATE, the proposal for a data center south of Bluff Road and west of Highway 77”Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade A
- House Judiciary Ranking Member Raskin's letter to Alphabet's CEO demands every US Google data center (with code names) and every NDA with governments/utilities, answers due Oct 13, 2026. The Lincoln campus's 2019-2023 co“Please identify every data center your company owns, operates, funds, or has proposed in the United States, whether directly or through a subsidiary, affiliate, or development partner”State agency · Oct. 2026 · grade A
- Name: Google Lincoln Data Center“Our data center communities in Nebraska (Lincoln, Omaha, and Papillion)”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Developer: Google (site held via Agate LLC)“Google has announced plans to build a data center in Lincoln, its third in the state”Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Construction stage: operating, first phase in service; build-out continuing“The Lincoln, Nebraska data center comes online.”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Stage: operating“The Lincoln, Nebraska data center comes online.”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- Current target date: 2026“The Lincoln, Nebraska data center comes online.”Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
- First announced: Oct. 2023“The announcement was made with U.S. Senator Deb Fischer and Congressman Mike Flood at the company's Papillion data center campus”Local government · Oct. 2023 · grade B
- Construction stage: operating (first phase online) and still under construction toward ~2M sq ft (Nebraska Public Media, Oct 2026); queue verdict operating / still building CONFIRMED“And there's the Google data center near Interstate 80 and North 56th Street that is operating, but still under construction.”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Site acres: 580 acres“Its newest data center project in Lincoln remains under construction on roughly 580 acres.”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Original target date: not stated“The Lincoln center ... is expected to become operational within 12 months”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- No facts from that proposal are imported into this folder.“Land options have been acquired in Gage, Lancaster, Otoe and Cass Counties”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Developer entity: Agate LLC“The Lincoln facility operates under the affiliated name Agate LLC.”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Annual water use: 13.299 Mgal/yr“Annual water use at the Lincoln site came to 13.299 megagallons, or 13.299 million gallons, attributed to cooling towers, evaporative systems, and site operations.”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Current stage: operating (first building; campus build-out continues)“Agate LLC's Lincoln facility reported 52.65 megawatts of peak electrical demand”News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
- Water use stated: 13.299 Mgal/yr“Annual water used for cooling towers, evaporative cooling systems and facility operations totalled 13,299,000 gallons”News report · 2025 · grade C
- Site acres: 600 acres“The Lincoln center, located on 600 acres near the 56th Street exit on Interstate 80, is expected to become operational within 12 months”News report · Nov. 2024 · grade C
- Acres: 600 acres“The Lincoln center, located on 600 acres near the 56th Street exit on Interstate 80”News report · Nov. 2024 · grade C
Imagery and records: Building permits: ATTOM.