TL;DR
Get monitors, keyboards and dev gear delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
A Nebraska TV station found that text obscured in Google data center reports could be copied from the submitted documents. The exposed figures include Agate LLC’s reported 2025 water use and peak electricity demand, as well as water and expected tax refund amounts for three Google-owned facilities.
A redaction error in reports filed with Nebraska’s Department of Water, Energy, and Environment exposed water and electricity figures for Google-owned data centers, according to Lincoln TV station KOLN. The station said text hidden in the reports could be highlighted and copied, revealing that Lincoln facility Agate LLC reported 13.299 million gallons of water use and peak electrical demand of 52.65 megawatts.
KOLN reported that Nebraska requires data centers to submit annual reports to the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, or DWEE. Google companies operating facilities in Lincoln, Omaha and Papillion claimed their electricity and water usage information was trade secret material, citing state statutes and regulations. The figures appeared obscured in the documents made available to the public, but KOLN said readers could recover text by selecting and copying the redacted areas into another document.
Agate LLC’s report gives 52.65 megawatts for peak electrical demand and 13.299 megagallons of water used in the last year across cooling towers, evaporative systems and site operations. A megagallon is one million gallons. The report’s water figure therefore represents about 13.3 million gallons; it is a water-use total, while the electricity figure is specifically peak demand, not annual electricity consumption.
The report also exposed water figures for other facilities. KOLN said Papillion’s Fireball Group LLC reported 547.88 megagallons for 2025 annual water consumption, the largest amount among the six data centers whose reports were available as of September 30. Those six centers reported a combined 765 million gallons of water use last year. KOLN also found that the three Google-owned companies reported expected 2025 tax refunds: $55,822,472 for Agate, $39,171,573.39 for Fireball, and $22,558,881 for Omaha’s Westwood Solutions LLC.
Nebraska’s Resource Reports Exposed
The disclosure gives residents and officials figures that were difficult to access in reports intended to describe data centers’ effects on water supplies, electricity demand and local infrastructure. Data centers can require substantial utility services, so facility-level reporting can help the public understand the scale of their resource use and inform discussion about local planning. The newly visible figures are particularly relevant because Nebraska has directed operators to report their effects on state resources.
The numbers also need to be read in their stated units and categories. Agate’s 52.65 megawatts describes peak electrical demand; the report excerpt does not provide an annual electricity total. The water totals are reported for the past year, and KOLN compared Agate’s 13.299 million gallons with roughly half of Lincoln’s reported water use on September 29. That comparison uses one city day as its reference and does not establish how the facility’s use compares with the city’s annual consumption.
The expected refunds add a public finance dimension to the reports. Nebraska companies can claim sales and use tax exemptions under the Nebraska Advantage Act, but the reports say the facilities had not received rebates under that program to date. The filings also state that the companies had not received, and did not expect to receive, incentive payments under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act. An expected tax refund is not the same as a rebate or incentive payment, and the figures alone do not establish the companies’ final tax treatment.
water usage monitoring system for data centers
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
State Reporting Behind the Figures
The reports were submitted under a state effort overseen by DWEE’s Data Center Task Force. KOLN said the task force is overseeing implementation of an executive order issued by Governor Jim Pillen on July 20. The order requires data centers in Nebraska to self-report their effects on resources, with particular attention to water, power grids and local infrastructure. Reports were due September 30.
KOLN reported that all three Google data center companies in Nebraska—Agate in Lincoln, Fireball in Papillion and Westwood Solutions in Omaha—claimed their utility-use information was trade secret material. The station filed a public records request with DWEE on September 30 seeking the redacted information in Agate’s report. The report also lists Agate’s gross floor area as 288,530 square feet, according to the station.
In its coverage, KOLN put Agate’s water figure in everyday terms, estimating that 13 million gallons could fill about 20 Olympic-size swimming pools. It also calculated that the combined 765 million gallons reported by six facilities would fill about 1,159.93 such pools. These are illustrative comparisons based on the station’s figures; the underlying reports provide water volumes, not pool counts.
““utilize or expect to utilize””
— Google-owned data center companies, as quoted in the KOLN report
electricity demand meters for industrial use
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Details Still Behind Redactions
The figures surfaced through a flaw in the documents’ redactions, but the available source material does not establish whether DWEE or the companies have since issued corrected reports. KOLN said it filed a public records request for the obscured information in Agate’s report; the source does not give the agency’s response or say whether the request produced additional records.
The report as described by KOLN does not provide an annual electricity consumption figure for Agate. Its 52.65-megawatt figure is peak demand, so it cannot be used on its own to calculate the facility’s total electricity use over a year. It is also unclear from the source how each company’s water-use totals were measured or whether the figures have been independently checked.
The six-facility water total reflects reports available as of September 30, not necessarily every data center in Nebraska. The source does not say whether all required reports had been filed by that date. The expected tax refund amounts are company-reported figures; the material provided does not establish whether those refunds were approved, paid, or later changed.
water flow sensors for cooling towers
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Records Request and State Review
The next steps include DWEE’s response to KOLN’s public records request and any agency or company action to correct the reports’ redactions. The Department’s task force is overseeing the reporting process under the governor’s July 20 order, with reports due September 30. The source does not describe a published review schedule or say whether the state plans to release revised versions.
Readers can look up submitted data center reports through the state document search described by KOLN: enter “DCR” in the “DEQ Program” field. Further reporting or updated filings could clarify whether additional facilities submitted reports, whether the reported figures were checked, and how Nebraska will use the information in evaluating data center effects on water, electricity and local infrastructure.
energy consumption tracking devices
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What did the redaction error reveal about the Lincoln data center?
KOLN said Agate LLC’s report listed 13.299 megagallons of water used in the last year and peak electrical demand of 52.65 megawatts. The electricity number describes peak demand, not annual consumption.
How much water did the Papillion facility report using?
Fireball Group LLC reported 547.88 megagallons, or about 547.88 million gallons, for its 2025 annual water consumption, according to KOLN.
What refunds did the Google-owned companies expect?
The reports listed expected 2025 tax refunds of $55,822,472 for Agate, $39,171,573.39 for Fireball, and $22,558,881 for Westwood Solutions. The source does not establish whether the amounts were approved or paid.
What happens to the public records request?
KOLN said it filed a request with DWEE on September 30 for information redacted in Agate’s report. The source does not report the agency’s response or whether corrected documents will be released.
Source: hn
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
