Google Secures 115 MW of Geothermal Energy in New Green Initiative

Google has launched its first Clean Transition Tariff-based (CTT) supply agreement, aiming to accelerate the adoption of advanced clean technologies and facilitate investment in renewable energy. This initiative, in partnership with Berkshire Hathaway’s NV Energy, seeks to help companies achieve their climate goals more effectively.

Traditional renewable energy purchases are often made through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), where buyers commit to purchasing a specific amount of power from providers, incentivizing the development of renewable projects. However, due to the intermittent nature of solar and wind power, grids frequently rely on fossil fuels. The CTT structure was developed to invest in stable, firm power sources from early-stage technologies such as geothermal, advanced nuclear, and long-duration storage, which are not well incentivized by current regulatory frameworks. This structure aims to match clean energy generation with customer demand to accelerate overall grid decarbonization.

Under the new agreement with NV Energy, Google has procured 115 MW of enhanced geothermal energy from Fervo Energy in Nevada. This addition to the grid supports Google’s objective to operate its data centers and office campuses on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. A commercial pilot of the program demonstrated Fervo’s ability to deliver enhanced geothermal power at a commercial scale. Following this success, Fervo has expanded its capacity nearly 25-fold, thanks to Google’s support.

Doug Cannon, President and CEO of NV Energy, highlighted the partnership’s significance, stating, “NV Energy and Google’s partnership to develop new solutions to bring clean, firm energy technology — like enhanced geothermal — onto Nevada’s grid at this scale is remarkable. This innovative proposal will not be paid for by NV Energy’s other customers but will help ensure all our customers benefit from cleaner, greener energy resources. If approved, it provides a blueprint for other utilities and large customers in Nevada to accelerate clean energy goals.”

Google believes the new CTT structure can be replicated across U.S. electricity markets. Together with NV Energy, Google has proposed a framework adaptable to various state regulatory environments to meet both state and customer goals.

Amanda Peterson Corio, Global Head of Data Center Energy, and Briana Kobor, Head of Energy Market Innovation at Google, emphasized the broader impact of the new model, stating, “It’s not just Google that stands to benefit from this new model. If widely adopted across U.S. markets, the CTT structure can expand clean energy capacity and improve grid reliability, accelerate the roll-out of new technologies needed to enable clean industrial growth, and bring the economic benefits of clean energy to communities everywhere.”