Improper Redaction Reveals Google Data Center Water And Electricity Usage

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A KOLN review of Nebraska data center filings found that text covered by redaction boxes remained recoverable in submitted reports. The report says Google’s Lincoln site disclosed 13.299 million gallons of annual water use and peak electricity demand of 52.65 megawatts; the accuracy and completeness of the figures have not been independently established in the source material.

A redaction error in Nebraska data center reports allowed text about Google’s facilities to be recovered, according to a September 30 report by KOLN. The filings identify 13.299 million gallons of water use and peak electricity demand of 52.65 megawatts at Google’s Lincoln site, adding public detail as state officials collect data on the industry’s effects on water and power resources.

KOLN reported that Google’s Lincoln data center, listed in the filing as Agate LLC, marked its electricity and water usage as trade secret information. The station said the covered text could still be revealed by selecting and copying it from the report into another document. The report does not describe a deliberate disclosure by Google; it attributes the recovered figures to the submitted filing.

The Lincoln filing reports 52.65 megawatts during peak electrical demand and 13.299 megagallons of water used during the prior year across cooling towers, evaporative systems and site operations. KOLN equated that water volume to about 13 million gallons. The station also reported that six data centers had filed by September 30, with a combined 765 million gallons of annual water use. It said Papillion’s Google-associated Fireball Group LLC reported the largest amount among those six, at 547.88 megagallons for 2025.

The filings also list expected tax refunds. According to KOLN, Agate LLC reported an expected $55,822,472 refund from 2025 taxes; Fireball LLC, $39,171,573.39; and Omaha’s Westwood Solutions LLC, $22,558,881. The reports say the data centers utilize or expect to utilize sales and use tax exemptions under the Nebraska Advantage Act. They state that no rebates had been received under that program and no incentive payments had been received or were expected under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act. Agate’s filing lists a gross floor area of 288,530 square feet.

Water and Power Use in Focus

The disclosures matter because data centers can place demands on water supplies, electricity systems and local infrastructure, while some operational details may be withheld from public view. Nebraska requires data centers to submit annual reports, and the state’s reporting effort is intended to document their resource impacts. Figures from the filings give residents and officials more specific information to assess, although the report alone does not establish how the facilities’ use compares with other local users over consistent periods.

The tax refund amounts add a separate public-interest issue: they show the refunds the companies say they expect from 2025 taxes, not necessarily payments already issued. Keeping that distinction clear matters when evaluating the public cost and benefits of attracting data center investment. The figures could inform scrutiny of state incentives alongside questions about jobs, infrastructure costs and resource demand, but the source report does not provide enough evidence to resolve those broader trade-offs.

Nebraska’s Annual Data Reports

Nebraska data centers are required to submit annual reports to the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, or DWEE. KOLN reported that Google classified usage information for facilities in Lincoln, Omaha and Papillion as trade secrets, citing Nebraska statutes and an administrative regulation. The source material does not include the department’s legal analysis of those claims or its response to the reporting.

The reports are part of a state effort overseen by DWEE’s Data Center Task Force. KOLN said the task force is overseeing the execution of Governor Jim Pillen’s July 20 executive order, which requires data centers to self-report effects on Nebraska resources, with particular attention to water, power grids and local infrastructure. The annual submissions were due September 30, 2026.

The station said it filed a public records request with DWEE on September 30 seeking the redacted information in Agate LLC’s report. That request is distinct from the text recovered through the redaction error. KOLN also said filings available through the department’s reporting system could be located by searching for “DCR” in the DEQ Program field.

““utilize or expect to utilize” sales and use tax exemptions under the Nebraska Advantage Act”

— Google-owned data center filings, as quoted by KOLN

Questions About the Filings

The source report does not say whether DWEE or Google has confirmed the recovered text’s accuracy, or whether the department considers the redaction method adequate to disclose information submitted as trade secret. KOLN’s public records request for the Agate filing’s redacted information was pending in the report; no response or decision is included in the supplied material.

It is also unclear whether the six reports represent all Nebraska data centers required to file, how the reported water and electricity measures were calculated, or whether the reported figures have been checked against utility or water-provider records. The 52.65-megawatt figure is specifically described as peak electrical demand, so it should not be read as annual electricity consumption. The expected tax refunds are reported expectations, and the source does not confirm that the amounts were paid.

Records Request and State Review

The next documented step is DWEE’s response to KOLN’s September 30 public records request concerning Agate LLC’s filing. The department’s decision could clarify which information it will release and how it handles trade-secret claims in these reports. The supplied source does not give a timetable for that response or identify a subsequent review date.

State officials are also overseeing the reporting required by the governor’s July 20 executive order. Further filings or agency explanations may clarify the statewide totals, the methods behind the figures and the reported tax refunds. Until then, the numbers remain disclosures attributed to the submitted filings and reported by KOLN.

Key Questions

What did the redaction error reveal about Google’s Lincoln data center?

KOLN reported that the Agate LLC filing listed 52.65 megawatts of peak electrical demand and 13.299 megagallons of water use over the prior year.

How much water did the six reported Nebraska data centers use?

KOLN said the six data centers reporting by September 30 showed combined annual water use of 765 million gallons. The supplied report does not establish whether all required facilities had filed by that date.

Which reported data center used the most water?

Among the six filings KOLN reviewed, Papillion’s Google-associated Fireball Group LLC reported the most: 547.88 megagallons for its 2025 annual water consumption.

Were Google’s expected tax refunds already paid?

The source describes the amounts as expected refunds from 2025 taxes. It does not confirm that the refunds had been paid.

What happens after the report?

KOLN said it filed a public records request with DWEE on September 30 for information redacted in the Agate LLC report. The department’s response and any further review of the submitted filings were not reported in the supplied material.

Source: hn