Google’s AI construction led to a 37% increase in electricity in 2025

The company also noted that its emissions from contracted manufacturers and suppliers grew by 25 percent thanks to “the Asia-Pacific region that works on non-carbon energy grids.”

The purpose of non-air energy

Google has been matching 100 percent of the electricity it uses and purchasing renewable energy each year for its global operations, which it has been doing for nine years. In 2025, the company’s purchase agreements for a combined 12 gigawatts of “net-new clean energy” represented the largest annual commitment in the company’s history.

But it also acknowledged that companies can only claim to rely on 100 percent renewable energy while still using fossil fuels in the local grid. Therefore, Google says that it has increased its emphasis on “24/7 carbon-free energy aspirations” that take into account more and more by looking at certificates representing hourly and local matches for clean energy.

According to Michael Thomas, CEO of Cleanview data platform that manages renewable energy and data center operations. But his analysis of the electrical power system of Google’s data center points out that Google has pursued an “everything at once” strategy that includes everything from renewables to natural gas production.

Many of Google’s investments include efforts to sell “advanced nuclear, fusion energy, geothermal, long-term energy storage, and natural gas for carbon capture and storage.” The company’s sustainability report highlighted more than $3.8 billion in investments between 2010 and 2025 that are expected to bring 7.5 gigawatts of clean energy online.

However, in a April 2026 issueThomas pointed to Google’s $40 billion investment in Texas data centers, including a campus that can be powered by a 933-megawatt gas-fired power plant without air-conditioning technology. The gas plant’s turbines can produce 4.5 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

A Google spokesperson told Mr. Thomas that the company has not yet signed an agreement on how much power the Google data center will receive from the gas plant.