Google has unveiled a major step in reshaping its energy portfolio, announcing a partnership with I Squared Capital and its decarbonization arm Low Carbon Infrastructure (LCI) to develop a 400 MW natural gas power plant integrated with carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Decatur, Illinois. The project, known as Broadwing Energy, represents the first-ever corporate power offtake agreement for a CCS-enabled facility marking a significant evolution in how tech giants are addressing the carbon intensity of their rapidly expanding data center operations. As artificial intelligence accelerates global electricity demand, Google’s move signals a shift from simply purchasing renewable power to investing directly in next-generation, dispatchable clean energy. The question now is whether this hybrid approach combining natural gas with deep carbon capture can sustain Google’s climate ambitions while meeting the world’s growing digital energy appetite.

Expanding the Definition of Clean Energy

For over a decade, Google has been a pioneer in renewable energy procurement, signing more than 170 power purchase agreements totaling over 22 GW of clean generation since 2010. Yet, as its data center footprint and AI infrastructure scale at unprecedented rates, the company’s energy needs have outpaced the rollout of wind and solar capacity. The Decatur project marks a pragmatic pivot. By integrating CCS technology capable of capturing and permanently storing up to 90% of CO₂ emissions, Google aims to maintain reliable power while advancing toward its net-zero operations and value chain goal by 2030. The captured carbon will be sequestered more than a mile underground in Archer Daniels Midland’s EPA-approved Class VI facilities, a site already recognized for its pioneering carbon storage operations.

“Our goal is to help bring promising new CCS solutions to market while learning and innovating quickly,” said Michael Terrell, Google’s Head of Advanced Energy. “Our collaboration with LCI will fast-track technical and operational improvements from improving CO₂ capture rates to refining system economics.”

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Engineering Reliability into Decarbonization

While wind, solar, and batteries remain central to Google’s energy mix, the company acknowledges that intermittent renewables alone can’t meet the round-the-clock power demands of hyperscale computing. The Broadwing Energy project offers a blueprint for how firm, low-carbon power could complement renewables, stabilizing energy supply for data centers that now form the backbone of AI and cloud infrastructure. Expected to begin commercial operation in 2030, the plant will feed a portion of its output directly to Google’s Midwest data centers, ensuring stable energy delivery even during low renewable output. It reflects a broader industry trend of combining firm generation with carbon abatement technologies to balance the reliability-emissions tradeoff. The partnership also has a developmental dimension. I Squared, through LCI, plans to replicate the model with additional CCS-backed facilities across the U.S., positioning Broadwing as the first in a pipeline of commercial-scale carbon capture projects.

Private Capital Meets Corporate Climate Ambition

For investors, Broadwing represents a rare convergence of infrastructure finance, energy innovation, and corporate decarbonization. I Squared Capital brings expertise in long-term energy assets, while LCI provides the technical depth needed to integrate CCS systems efficiently. Together with Google’s offtake guarantee, the project de-risks deployment and demonstrates how private capital can accelerate low-carbon infrastructure traditionally reliant on public funding.

“Broadwing demonstrates that carbon capture can be commercially viable today,” said Jonathan Wiens, CEO of Low Carbon Infrastructure. “Working alongside I Squared and Google, we’re proving that low-carbon power can be both affordable and reliable while driving job creation and community investment.”

Echoing that sentiment, Gautam Bhandari, Global CIO and Managing Partner at I Squared, noted: “This partnership underscores how private investment, technology innovation, and corporate energy demand can come together to deliver scalable climate solutions.”

Balancing Progress with Complexity

Google’s latest Environmental Report acknowledged that achieving its 2030 climate goals is becoming increasingly complex. The company cited “the sharp growth in energy demand driven by AI” and “a slower-than-expected rollout of carbon-free energy technologies” as key challenges. In 2024, despite an uptick in total energy use, Google managed to cut data center emissions by 12%, partly through early adoption of geothermal and advanced nuclear pilots. The addition of CCS broadens this strategy pairing traditional energy reliability with modern decarbonization pathways. Still, the move invites debate. Critics question whether CCS should be considered “clean” energy, given its reliance on fossil fuel inputs, while supporters argue it represents an essential bridge technology for heavy-emitting sectors. For Google, however, the calculation appears pragmatic: combining technology diversity with carbon accountability to sustain its digital expansion without abandoning its climate commitments.

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A New Phase in Corporate Climate Innovation

The Broadwing partnership positions Google at the forefront of a new phase in corporate decarbonization where companies don’t just buy clean power but actively help build the infrastructure that will define the next generation of climate solutions. If successful, Broadwing could become a model for tech and industrial players seeking to balance energy security with emissions responsibility. More importantly, it reflects a growing recognition that reaching net zero will require a portfolio of solutions renewables, storage, nuclear, and now, carbon capture. By blending reliability with experimentation, Google’s venture into CCS marks a pivotal shift in how corporations confront the realities of their carbon footprints. It’s not a retreat from clean energy but an expansion of what that term can mean in a world where both data and temperature curves continue to rise.

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