Google has announced plans to acquire 10 megawatts of geothermal power generation capacity in Taiwan, marking the company’s first foray into geothermal energy investment in Asia. The expansion is part of Google’s continuing efforts to add renewable energy sources for its global data center operations.
The project is being developed by Baseload Capital, a Swedish firm focused on geothermal investment, through a local Taiwanese subsidiary. Baseload Capital has been active in mapping geothermal resource availability across Taiwan since 2019, aiming to support the island nation’s broader goals to significantly expand its geothermal energy capacity.
This initiative follows Google’s earlier involvement with geothermal power in the United States. Last November, Google partnered with U.S.-based startup Fervo Energy, which connected a 3.5-megawatt geothermal power plant in Nevada to help power the tech giant’s data center facilities there.
Geothermal power is an attractive renewable technology because it offers stable, around-the-clock energy generation. In the United States alone, geothermal power has the potential to generate up to 90 gigawatts of clean electricity by 2050. Similarly, island regions like Taiwan, situated on the geothermal-rich area known as the “Ring of Fire,” possess significant potential for harnessing geothermal resources. Taiwan has set a goal of achieving 6 gigawatts of geothermal generation capacity by 2050 as part of its broader renewable energy strategy.
