Meta To Use Geothermal Power In US Data Centres

Facebook owner Meta Platforms has signed a deal to source a green energy supply for its US data centres.

Meta confirmed it had signed a new agreement with Sage Geosystems to “significantly expand the use of geothermal power in the US and would be the first use of next generation geothermal power east of the Rocky Mountains.”

Meta’s Facebook has been investing in green sources of energy for its data centres for a number of years now. This included the Facebook data centre in Prineville Oregon utilising hydroelectric power, and its Forth Worth, Texas data centre being powered by both wind and solar.

Geothermal power

Meta said this week’s deal with Houston-based Sage Geosystems “demonstrates the critical role clean, firm, and resilient power plays in meeting the electricity demand spurred by the growth and innovation led by the technology sector.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it comes amid a US Department of Energy event on geothermal development, which is part of the President Joe Biden’s drive to get big tech firms to invest in green power generation for their power-hungry data centres.

Geothermal power is a renewable energy source that uses the Earth’s internal heat in order to produce electricity and heat water.

This partnership will deliver up to 150 MW of new geothermal baseload power to support Meta’s data centre growth, thanks to Sage’s proprietary Geopressured Geothermal System (GGS).

It should be noted that 150 megawatts is approximately enough electricity to power 38,000 homes.

“Meta thanks the Department of Energy’s leadership on promoting and supporting the exploration of new energy sources like geothermal,” said Urvi Parekh, Head of Renewable Energy at Meta. “That leadership supports Meta’s goal to enable the addition of reliable, affordable, and carbon-free power to the grid with this geothermal energy deal.”

“We are excited to partner with such an innovative company like Sage Geosystems that is a proven leader in geothermal development on this project and beyond,” said Parekh.

Green transition

“This announcement is the perfect example of how the public and private sector can work together to make the clean energy transition a reality,” added Cindy Taff, CEO of Sage Geosystems. “We are thrilled to be at the forefront of the next generation of geothermal technology and applaud the DOE for supporting the commercialisation of innovation solutions.”

“As energy demand continues to grow, the need for reliable, resilient and sustainable power is paramount and our partnership with Meta underscores the critical need for innovative and sustainable energy solutions like ours,” said Taff.

“The US has seen unprecedented growth in demand for energy as our economy grows, the manufacturing sector booms thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, and new industries like AI expand,” said US Energy Deputy Secretary David Turk. “The Administration views this increased demand as a huge opportunity to add more clean, firm power to the grid and geothermal energy is a game-changer as we work to grow our clean power supply.”

The first phase of this project will aim to be online and operating in 2027.

Meanwhile a Meta spokesperson told Reuters the company expected the Sage Geosystems energy to feed the local power grid, rather than directly supplying any specific data centre.