Nebraska Google data center reports detail water use and expected tax refunds

Water and power use hidden in Nebraska reports

Nebraska data centers must submit annual reports to the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, but some information was withheld under state trade secret statutes. Agate LLC, which operates the Google data center in Lincoln, claimed its electricity and water usage were trade secret information. Google did the same for all three of its Nebraska sites, including Omaha and Papillion.

The redacted figures show Agate reporting 52.65 megawatts of electricity during peak electrical demand and 13.299 megagallons of water for cooling towers, evaporative systems and site operations over the last year. That water use totals about 13 million gallons, enough to fill around 20 Olympic-size swimming pools.

As of Sept. 30, six data centers reported a combined 765 million gallons of water use for the prior year, equal to 1,159.93 Olympic-size swimming pools. Fireball Group LLC, the Google data center in Papillion, reported the highest annual use at 547.88 megagallons in its 2025 Annual Water Consumption report.

Google sites expect substantial 2025 tax refunds

The Google reports say the data centers use or expect to use sales and use tax exemptions under the Nebraska Advantage Act. They state that no rebates have been received under that program to date. The reports also say no incentive payments have been received or are expected under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act.

Agate LLC expects a $55,822,472 refund from 2025 taxes. Fireball LLC expects $39,171,573.39, while Westwood Solutions LLC, the Google-owned data center in Omaha, expects a refund of $22,558,881 from 2025 taxes.

Data center reporting requirements

Documents submitted by Agate list a gross floor area of 288,530 square feet, about five football fields. The Department of Water, Energy, and Environment Data Center Task Force is overseeing Governor Jim Pillen's July 20 Executive Order, which requires data centers to report their effects on Nebraska resources, primarily water, power grids and local infrastructure. Usage reports are due by Sept. 30.

10/11 filed a public record request with the department on Sept. 30 seeking redacted information from Agate LLC's report. Further examination of the filings revealed the water, electricity and tax figures.