American Electric Power Co. (AEP) intends to invest $4 billion in the construction of a fuel cell power plant for the benefit of Google. This is reported in the AEP press release.
Construction of the 702 MW power plant is scheduled to begin in 2027, and the facility is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2028. As part of the 20-year agreement, Google will buy electricity from a company that is 92% owned by AEP and funds controlled by Basalt Infrastructure Partners LLP (8%).
The plant will be powered by Bloom Energy Corp. fuel cells, which allow generating electricity without burning natural gas with virtually zero emissions. At the same time, fuel cells can be installed in 90 days compared to the lengthy process of installing natural gas turbines and implementing nuclear projects.
The deal is AEP's third project using Bloom fuel cells. The company also implements projects to provide electricity. Amazon.com Inc. and the Cologix Inc. data center in the state Ohio.
The agreement highlights the growing interest in Bloom fuel cells from technology companies looking for power sources for energy-intensive AI systems. Bloom also supplies fuel cells for Oracle Corp.'s Project Jupiter project. in the state of New Mexico, which has faced opposition from local authorities and is awaiting permits.
American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP) is an American power generation, transmission, and distribution company in the United States. The headquarters is located in Columbus, Ohio. AEP serves more than 5 million customers in 11 states.
