Meta closes deal for geothermal energy with Sage Geosystems
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has announced a major partnership with Sage Geosystems to purchase up to 150MW of geothermal power for its data centres in the US. The move is intended to support massive investments in energy-hungry artificial intelligence and reduce the company’s reliance on traditional energy sources.
As part of a US Department of Energy event on geothermal energy development, Meta stressed that the first phase of this project should be operational by 2027, significantly expanding the use of geothermal energy in the United States.
The rise in electricity demand is due to the adoption of technologies such as generative AI, which require energy-hungry data centres. This development could complicate President Joe Biden’s goal of decarbonising the energy sector by 2035 to combat climate change.
Meta’s announcement comes at a time when the US is asking major technology companies to invest in new climate-friendly power generation. The company expects energy from Sage Geosystems to become part of the power grid, rather than delivering directly to a specific data center.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, this partnership highlights Meta’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact and investing in sustainable energy solutions for the future. As the company continues to grow, it is crucial that it prioritises green initiatives such as this geothermal deal to support its massive investments in AI.
The deal could point a way forward for Ireland, where data centres’ drain on the national grid remains a point of controversy. According to figures from the Central Statistics Office data centres accounted for 21% of all the electricity used in Ireland in 2022.
Today, Google was denied planning permission for a the third phase of its new data centre campus in Grange Castle Business Park in Dublin. The project was expected to create 800 construction jobs and a further 50 when the centre became operational.
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