California Resources Plans Data Center Inside Elk Hills Oil Field
California Resources Corporation, the state's largest oil company, wants to construct a data center campus spanning 600,000 square feet inside the Elk Hills oil field, according to Grist.
The project, named the Golden Valley Technology Hub, would occupy 100 acres of the field and stand more than a mile from the nearest homes, Grist reported. Power would come from a 550-megawatt natural gas plant at the site, a unit that has for years produced steam used in drilling.
CRC attached 150 signatures from area residents backing the data center to its permit application, according to Grist. At least five of those names are tied to the local oil industry.
The carbon capture system already running at the plant takes in roughly 7 percent of its total emissions, Grist reported.
Chris Gould, CRC's chief sustainability officer, said the plan reuses an existing industrial site and relies on what the company describes as one of the industry's most water-efficient cooling systems.
Chevron has entered a similar market, signing an agreement to supply methane to a Microsoft data center in west Texas, according to Grist.
Source: grist.org (opens in a new tab)1 sourcePermalink