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Bad PDF redaction exposes Google's Nebraska data center water and power use

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Bad PDF redaction exposes Google's Nebraska data center water and power use

KOLN (10/11 NOW) in Lincoln, Nebraska reports that Google's data centers in the state hid their resource use in annual filings, and the hiding did not work.\n\nNebraska data centers must file an annual report with the state's Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE). Some state statutes keep the public from seeing how much electricity and water the centers use. The Google data center in Lincoln, named Agate LLC, claimed its electricity and water use were trade secrets, citing Neb. Rev. State §§ 81-1527 and 84-712.05 and NAC Title 115, Ch. 2. Google did the same for all three of its Nebraska sites, including those in Omaha and Papillion.\n\nThe redaction was improper. Highlighting the redacted text box in the report to DWEE with a cursor and pasting it into a separate document reveals the numbers. For Agate LLC, that is 52.65 megawatts of electricity during peak electrical demand, and 13.299 megagallons of water across cooling towers, evaporative systems and site operations in the last year. The source rounds that to 13 million gallons, which it says would fill around 20 Olympic-size swimming pools and is less than half of what the City of Lincoln reports using on Sept. 29.\n\nThe six data centers that had reported as of Sept. 30 show a combined 765 million gallons of water used last year, enough to fill 1,159.93 Olympic-size swimming pools. This total covers all six reporting centers, not only Google's. Further improper redaction shows the biggest annual water user among them is Fireball Group LLC, Google's data center in Papillion, which reports 547.88 megagallons for its 2025 Annual Water Consumption.\n\nThe filings also expose expected tax refunds. Google's reports say its data centers only "utilize or expect to utilize" sales and use tax exemptions under the Nebraska Advantage Act. The reports state that no rebates have been received under that program to date, and that no incentive payments have been received or are expected under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act. Even so, they list refunds from 2025 taxes: Agate LLC expects $55,822,472, Fireball LLC expects $39,171,573.39, and Westwood Solutions LLC, Google's Omaha data center, expects $22,558,881. Documents from Agate LLC also give the gross floor area as 288,530 square feet, which the source compares to about five football fields.\n\nThe reports come under Governor Jim Pillen's July 20th Executive Order, which requires data centers in the state to self-report their impact on Nebraska's resources, primarily water, power grids and local infrastructure. The DWEE Data Center Task Force oversees its execution. Usage reports were due by Sept. 30. 10/11 filed a public record request on Sept. 30 to see the redacted information from Agate LLC's report. The source says submitted reports can be read by entering "DCR" into the "DEQ Program" field.

Key facts

  • Google's three Nebraska data centers (Lincoln, Omaha, Papillion) claimed electricity and water use as trade secrets, but copying the redacted text box in the PDF reveals the figures.
  • Agate LLC in Lincoln reports 52.65 megawatts during peak electrical demand and 13.299 megagallons of water in the last year, about 13 million gallons.
  • Fireball LLC in Papillion reports 547.88 megagallons of 2025 water use, the most among the six reporting data centers, which together used 765 million gallons.
  • The filings show expected 2025 tax refunds: $55,822,472 for Agate LLC, $39,171,573.39 for Fireball LLC and $22,558,881 for Westwood Solutions LLC.
  • The reports were filed under Governor Jim Pillen's July 20th Executive Order, and 10/11 filed a public record request on Sept. 30 for the redacted Agate LLC information.

Why it matters

Water and power use by data centers is a live public question, and Nebraska required self-reporting precisely to learn the impact on water, power grids and local infrastructure. Here the one party that supplied the numbers also tried to keep them from the public, and the attempt failed on a basic technical point. The leaked figures give residents a first concrete look: Agate LLC's roughly 13 million gallons is, per the source, less than half of what the City of Lincoln reports using on Sept. 29. The filings also show large expected tax refunds, which adds a second layer to the public conversation.

Who it affects

Residents and local officials in Lincoln, Omaha and Papillion, who are the people the executive order's reporting is meant to inform. State staff at DWEE and its Data Center Task Force, who receive the reports and oversee the order. Google and its Nebraska entities Agate LLC, Fireball LLC and Westwood Solutions LLC, whose figures and tax positions are now visible. Journalists and anyone tracking data center resource use, since the other reporting centers' filings are also public.

How to use it

The source says submitted reports can be read by entering "DCR" into the "DEQ Program" field of the state's records search. It describes the method that exposes the hidden figures: highlight the redacted text box in the report to DWEE with a cursor, then copy and paste it into a separate document. Anyone comparing data centers can use the figures above, such as Agate LLC's 52.65 megawatts at peak demand and 13.299 megagallons per year.

How solid is it

This is local television reporting from KOLN, and the numbers come straight from the filings it describes, with specific figures given for each site. The source quotes Google's reports only for their tax-exemption wording. It gives no response or comment from Google or Agate LLC about the redaction or the figures. It does not say whether the state has fixed the redaction or ruled on the trade-secret claims, and it does not say whether the 10/11 public record request has been answered.

Risks and caveats

The 765 million gallon total covers the six reporting data centers, not only Google's three, and the source does not name the other three. The 52.65 megawatts is the figure reported for peak electrical demand, not a typical or average load. The source gives no electricity figures for Fireball LLC or Westwood Solutions LLC, and it does not state the City of Lincoln's own water figure, so the comparison cannot be checked from the article. It does not say when the tax refunds are expected to be paid. Pool and football field comparisons are the outlet's own illustrations.

“utilize or expect to utilize”

— Wording from Google's Nebraska reports on sales and use tax exemptions, as quoted by KOLN (10/11 NOW)