Faulty redaction exposes Google's Nebraska data-center power and water figures and expected tax refunds, which Google had claimed as trade secrets
On Sept 30, 2026 Lincoln, Nebraska station 10/11 News (KOLN) reported that the redactions in Google's annual report to Nebraska's Department of Water, Energy and Environment could be undone by copying and pasting the blacked-out text. The report showed that Google's Lincoln data center (Agate LLC) drew 52.65 MW at peak and used 13.299 million gallons of water, figures Google had withheld as trade secrets, and that three Google data-center entities expected about $117M in Nebraska tax refunds for 2025. The story reached 504 points on Hacker News on Oct 4.
Key facts
- Lincoln site (Agate LLC): 52.65 MW at peak electrical demand; 13.299 megagallons of water across cooling towers, evaporative systems and site operations (about 20 Olympic pools), per the annual report to the state
- Google had marked these figures as trade secrets under Nebraska statutes (Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 81-1527, 84-712.05; NAC Title 115 ch. 2)
- Expected refunds for 2025 taxes: Agate LLC (Lincoln) $55,822,472; Fireball LLC (Papillion) $39,171,573.39; Westwood Solutions LLC (Omaha) $22,558,881
- How it surfaced: reporter Madison Pitsch highlighted the redaction boxes, copied the text and pasted it into another document
- Reach: Hacker News front page, 504 points (Oct 4, 2026); no Google or city response reported in the article
What happened
A local TV newsroom obtained Google's annual compliance report for its Lincoln, Nebraska data center (operated as Agate LLC). The power and water figures had been blacked out as trade secrets, but the redaction was only cosmetic: copying the hidden text revealed peak demand of 52.65 MW, 13.299 million gallons of water, and the tax refunds Google's three Nebraska data-center companies expected under the state's incentive programme.
Why it matters
AI data centers' water and power use is a growing local political issue, and operators often keep site-level figures confidential. This leak gives rare site-level numbers for a Google facility, and its HN reach shows strong public interest in data-center transparency.
Changelog
- 2026-10-05: created (KOLN article; HN reach)
Related events
Sources (2)
- press10/11 News (KOLN): More questions than answers about Lincoln's Google data center water, electricity usage (Sept 30, 2026)
- discussionHacker News discussion (504 points)
id: 2026-09-30-google-lincoln-data-center-redaction-water-power · updated 2026-10-05 · open in the interactive timeline