CHEYENNE, WY — At a packed meeting of Laramie County residents in the Metropolitan Downtown Wednesday night, Google’s land‑acquisition and development lead Eric Murray confirmed the company’s $17 billion investment in a new hyperscale data‑center campus called Project Tembo. The project will span roughly 700 acres just east of U.S. Highway 85 and is slated to be fully operational by the end of 2031.
Project scope and timeline
Project Tembo will feature four data‑center buildings, two core‑network facilities, a logistics hub and a two‑story Google office modeled after the company’s San Francisco headquarters. Construction is expected to begin as early as the end of this year, with the first data‑center halls coming online in the second half of 2028. Full completion is projected for late 2031.
Job creation and tax benefits
The development will generate roughly 2,500 construction jobs at peak build‑out and about 250 permanent positions once the campus is operating. Google’s public‑affairs representative Trystine Payfer emphasized that the company will become one of the largest taxpayers in Laramie County, contributing “tens of millions” in tax revenue over time. Payfer noted that Google already pays hundreds of millions in taxes nationwide and is committed to paying its full share locally without seeking special incentives.
Environmental stewardship
Google highlighted a closed‑loop cooling system designed to keep water consumption low. The site will draw 20–30 million gallons of water annually from the deep Lance Formation aquifer—well below the shallow aquifers used for residential wells—and treat it on‑site before releasing it into lined evaporation ponds. The company pledged to replenish 120 % of the water it uses through regional watershed projects, citing more than 165 active water‑stewardship initiatives across 97 watersheds that collectively return billions of gallons to ecosystems each year.
Third‑party environmental health consultant Dr. Chris Olsen assured attendees that Google will follow industry standards and that many concerns, such as electromagnetic‑field emissions, are overstated. County regulations will provide additional oversight.
Energy partnership
Google will partner with Tallgrass Energy, a Colorado‑based infrastructure firm, to supply power to the campus via an off‑grid generation facility. This arrangement ensures that the data‑center will not increase local electricity rates. Tallgrass previously planned natural‑gas generation for the project when it was led by AI‑infrastructure company Crusoe, which withdrew earlier this spring.
Community engagement
Google’s local team, including community‑development expert Jim Johnson, emphasized a collaborative approach with Laramie County officials. The company is seeking a conditional‑use permit for a new two‑story office building that will serve as the cultural hub for Google employees in Cheyenne. Payfer shared a light‑hearted anecdote about a mechanical bull in the Oklahoma office that even the governor rode, underscoring the company’s intent to bring a fun, family‑friendly workplace to the region.
Because the revised site plan closely mirrors the original submission, the county will handle approval administratively rather than requiring a full re‑application. The plan now includes one fewer data‑center building, a reduced footprint of about one million square feet, and a single additional entrance.
Looking ahead
Google expects to present the office‑complex proposal to the Laramie County Planning Commission later today, with final approval to be considered by the County Commissioners in the coming weeks. If approved, Project Tembo will add a significant high‑tech anchor to Wyoming’s growing data‑center corridor, bolstering local employment, tax revenue and environmental stewardship.
Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.
