Google plans to power a new data center with fossil fuels, yet release almost no emissions – here’s how its carbon capture tech works – The Conversation

Report on Carbon Capture and Storage as a Mitigation Strategy for AI Data Center Emissions

Introduction: Aligning Digital Infrastructure with Sustainable Development Goals

The rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers presents a significant challenge to global climate targets. The immense energy consumption of these facilities, when powered by fossil fuels, directly conflicts with Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action). This report examines Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a technological intervention to mitigate the environmental impact of this growing industry, analyzing its potential to support SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). A recent corporate power purchase agreement by Google for a CCS-equipped natural gas plant serves as a primary case study.

The Challenge: Energy Consumption and Climate Impact

Power Demands of Modern Data Centers

The energy requirements for AI data centers are substantial and growing, posing a direct threat to progress on SDG 13.

• Small data centers can require several megawatts of power.
• Hyperscale data centers can demand over 100 megawatts, a significant fraction of the output of an average natural gas power plant.
• This intensive energy use, if sourced from unabated fossil fuels, results in major greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating climate change.

A Technological Response: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) for Climate Action

The CCS Process and its Role in SDG 13

Carbon Capture and Storage is a multi-stage technological process designed to prevent CO2 emissions from reaching the atmosphere, directly contributing to the objectives of SDG 13 (Climate Action).

1. Capture: Carbon dioxide is separated from other gases produced by industrial processes, such as electricity generation at power plants.
2. Transport: The captured CO2 is compressed and transported, typically via pipelines, to a storage location.
3. Storage: CO2 is injected deep underground into selected geological formations for permanent sequestration.

Geological Storage Solutions for Long-Term Sequestration

Several types of geological formations are utilized for carbon storage, each representing an innovation in sustainable infrastructure in line with SDG 9.

• Depleted Oil and Gas Reservoirs: These sites have proven geological integrity, having trapped hydrocarbons for millions of years.
• Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery: CO2 is injected to increase fossil fuel extraction. This is the most common method in the U.S. but is viewed critically by environmental groups as it prolongs fossil fuel use, potentially conflicting with the spirit of SDG 7 and SDG 13.
• Basalt and Carbonate Formations: These rocks contain minerals that react with CO2, turning it into a solid state (mineralization) for highly secure, long-term storage. This method represents a significant innovation in permanent sequestration technology.
• Deep Saline Aquifers: These porous rock formations are filled with non-potable, highly mineralized water and offer enormous storage capacity. Their potential storage volume, estimated between 1,000 to 20,000 gigatons, far exceeds current annual emissions, making them a key asset for achieving climate goals.

Case Study: Google’s Initiative for Sustainable Digital Infrastructure

Project Overview and Contribution to SDG 9 and SDG 7

Google’s agreement to support a 400-megawatt natural gas power plant with integrated CCS in Illinois exemplifies an industrial strategy to align energy consumption with sustainability goals. This project is a notable example of SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) in action, as it pioneers a model for decarbonizing the power supply for critical digital infrastructure. By capturing approximately 90% of the plant’s emissions, it attempts to provide reliable power while addressing the clean energy objectives of SDG 7.

The Mount Simon Sandstone Formation: A Key Geological Asset

The project will utilize a deep saline aquifer for permanent storage, a method that strongly supports long-term climate action (SDG 13).

• Geology: The Mount Simon sandstone formation is a vast, porous, and permeable aquifer ideal for CO2 injection.
• Security: It is situated more than half a mile deep and is sealed by a thick, overlying layer of Eau Claire shale, which acts as a caprock to prevent leakage.
• Capacity: The formation’s estimated storage capacity ranges from 27 to 109 gigatons of CO2, highlighting its strategic importance for regional decarbonization efforts.

Operational Context and Challenges

As of 2023, 21 industrial CCS facilities were operational in the U.S., with five utilizing deep saline aquifers. However, the technology’s deployment requires rigorous oversight to ensure it aligns with sustainable development principles. Past incidents, including a pipeline rupture and an underground leak at a separate facility, underscore the need for robust safety and monitoring protocols to maintain the integrity of such infrastructure projects under SDG 9.

Conclusion: The Role of CCS in Future Energy and Climate Policy

Meeting Future Energy Demand Responsibly

With projections indicating a massive increase in energy demand driven by AI, technologies that mitigate climate impact are critical. The International Energy Agency and other experts consider CCS a necessary tool to manage this transition, ensuring that industrial growth does not derail progress on SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Implications for Sustainable Development

The deployment of CCS for data centers represents a crucial intersection of multiple Sustainable Development Goals. It is a strategy that seeks to:

• Advance SDG 13 (Climate Action) by directly reducing greenhouse gas emissions from a high-growth sector.
• Promote SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) by developing and scaling complex, sustainable industrial systems.
• Contribute to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) by providing a pathway to decarbonize essential, non-renewable power sources during the global transition to cleaner energy.

While not a substitute for renewable energy, CCS technology is positioned as a vital component in the portfolio of solutions required to reconcile continued technological development with urgent climate imperatives.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
   • The article discusses the massive energy demand of AI data centers, which require significant power generation (“more than 100 megawatts for a hyperscale data center”). It explores Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a technology to make energy from fossil fuels (natural gas) cleaner, thereby addressing the challenge of providing energy for technological growth while mitigating environmental impact.
2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
   • The core of the article revolves around new infrastructure: AI data centers, a new natural gas power plant, and the associated CCS facilities (pipelines, injection wells). It highlights innovation in making industrial processes more sustainable, such as Google’s project to build a power plant with integrated carbon capture technology.
3. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • This is the most prominent SDG in the article. The entire premise is based on the problem of “climate-warming emissions” from data centers powered by fossil fuels and the urgent need for solutions. The article explains how accumulating CO2 heats the planet and details CCS as a specific technological intervention to “keep carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere” and “slow climate change.”
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The article explicitly highlights a partnership as a key enabler for the project. It states, “Google recently entered into a unique corporate power purchase agreement to support the construction of a natural gas power plant… with Broadwing Energy.” This private-private partnership is presented as a crucial model for financing and developing new sustainable infrastructure.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 7.a: By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology.
   • The article’s focus on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as an “advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology” directly aligns with this target. The Google project represents a significant investment in clean energy technology and infrastructure designed to mitigate the environmental impact of a natural gas power plant.
2. Target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and processes, in accordance with national capabilities.
   • The plan to build a new 400-megawatt power plant designed from the outset to capture 90% of its carbon emissions is a direct example of adopting “clean and environmentally sound technologies” into new industrial infrastructure to support the growing AI industry.
3. Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.
   • While not discussing national policy directly, the article presents CCS as a critical strategy that “will be necessary to slow climate change,” as supported by the International Energy Agency. Corporate actions like Google’s project are a form of integrating climate change measures into business strategy and planning, which influences the broader energy landscape.
4. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
   • The article identifies the “unique corporate power purchase agreement” between Google and Broadwing Energy as the mechanism that “makes building the power plant with carbon capture and storage possible.” This highlights the importance of such private-sector partnerships in driving sustainable development projects.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Consumption:
   • The article quantifies the energy demand of data centers (“more than 100 megawatts”) and provides a national baseline for emissions (“the nation’s total carbon emissions from fossil fuels in 2024 were about 4.9 gigatons”). These figures serve as indicators of the scale of the problem.
2. Adoption Rate of Clean Technologies:
   • The article provides a direct indicator of CCS adoption by stating that as of fall 2025, “21 industrial facilities across the U.S. used carbon capture and storage,” with “Eight more… under construction.” This tracks the deployment of the technology.
3. Efficiency of Carbon Capture Technology:
   • A key performance indicator is mentioned for the Google project, which is “designed to capture about 90% of the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions.” This percentage is a measurable goal for the effectiveness of the technology.
4. Carbon Storage Capacity:
   • The article provides indicators for the potential of geological storage, noting the capacity of deep saline aquifers (“from about 1,000 to 20,000 gigatons”) and specifically the Mount Simon formation (“from 27 gigatons to 109 gigatons”). This measures the potential scale of the solution.
5. Investment and Partnerships in Sustainable Infrastructure:
   • The mention of Google’s “power purchase agreement” serves as a qualitative and quantitative indicator (one major agreement) of private sector investment and partnership formation aimed at developing cleaner energy infrastructure.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: theconversation.com