American tech giant Google has signed a deal to supply its data centres and other operations in Taiwan with geothermal energy, a first for Google in the region and a first for geothermal energy in Taiwan.
The agreement will see Swedish geothermal developer Baseload Capital build 10MW worth of geothermal capacity to power Google’s operations in Taiwan, doubling Taiwan’s current operational geothermal capacity. They are expected to come online in 2029.
“Through this long-term partnership with Baseload, we aim to unlock geothermal potential, driving the clean energy development needed to help decarbonize our operations and supply chains in Taiwan and globally,” said Michael Terrell, senior director of clean energy and carbon reduction at Google.
“We hope this first corporate agreement for geothermal in Taiwan will help to scale corporate procurement for geothermal projects across the region and worldwide.”
Geothermal power, which taps into underground heat to generate continuous electricity, could potentially become a vital source of power generation for technology companies like Google, especially as artificial intelligence (AI) and hyperscale data centres expand and increase demand for always-on sources of clean energy.
This is particularly the case in countries like Taiwan and regions where geological conditions such as along the Pacific Ring of Fire grant access to substantial geothermal resources.
