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Google has announced a groundbreaking partnership to develop a new natural gas power plant equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, marking a major step in its effort to secure reliable low-carbon energy for its data centers. The project, known as Broadwing Energy, will be built in Decatur, Illinois, on the campus of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). It is designed to generate over 400 megawatts of electricity while capturing up to 90% of its carbon dioxide emissions, which will be safely stored deep underground.
The initiative represents Google’s first corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) tied to a CCS-enabled power facility. The company will purchase most of the plant’s output to support its growing energy needs, particularly from artificial intelligence and data processing operations, which are driving massive demand for constant, high-capacity electricity.
For Google, this project signals a strategic expansion of its energy portfolio beyond renewables like wind, solar, and geothermal. By investing in “clean firm” power, low-carbon energy that can operate around the clock, Google aims to close one of the biggest gaps in its 2030 net-zero goal: maintaining reliability while reducing emissions. Company executives have described CCS as a critical technology for achieving deep decarbonization across industries that can’t depend solely on variable renewable sources.
The move, however, is not without controversy. Carbon capture technology has been criticized for its high costs, complex infrastructure, and uneven success rates in other large-scale projects. Environmental groups warn that relying on gas-fired power, even with CCS, risks extending fossil fuel dependence and delaying the full transition to renewables. Google will face scrutiny over the project’s actual carbon performance and long-term storage safety.
Still, the Broadwing Energy initiative could become a model for how tech companies address the rising challenge of powering digital infrastructure sustainably. If successful, it could prove that CCS-backed power generation can coexist with renewable expansion, providing a reliable, scalable, and lower-carbon energy source for the data-driven future.
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