Creekstone Energy, the company behind a significant data center campus currently under construction near Delta in Millard County, has announced it is in the process of patenting a new technology. This "revolutionary technology" is designed to turn natural gas into water, according to the developer.
Named GIGAWATER, the company described it as the "centerpiece" of its Project Oasis initiative at the Delta Gigasite campus. Creekstone Energy founder and CEO Ray Conley explained in an embargoed virtual briefing last week that the technology is designed to capture water vapor from the exhaust produced by Creekstone’s own natural-gas-powered electricity generation, converting it into usable water.
“We at Creekstone Energy, we don’t believe Utah should have to choose between economic growth and responsible water stewardship,” Conley told reporters. He added that given Creekstone’s focus on building what it aims to be the largest data center campus in the world, it is crucial that these facilities are designed for their specific locations, especially in the arid West.
To ensure the science is sound at scale, Creekstone Energy has signed a research agreement with the University of Utah’s Energy & Geoscience Institute. This partnership aims "to independently verify the technology," the company stated in a news release Wednesday. Milind Deo, the principal investigator with the University of Utah’s Energy & Geoscience Institute, affirmed in a prepared statement that the institute is "committed to rigorous, independent verification," noting that if the results bear out, this could significantly alter how the data center industry approaches water use.
The GIGAWATER process involves capturing exhaust from burning natural gas, cooling it through a regenerative rock-bed system, and then converting the vapor into water that can be collected on site. Conley, who developed the technology's underlying model himself, compared the process to condensed water dripping from an idling vehicle's tailpipe.
The Delta Gigasite, located approximately 200 miles south of Box Elder County, is already under construction after five years of planning. The campus, which Creekstone aims to be the world's largest data center, will span Creekstone's 1,143 acres and also includes 30,000 acres leased from the Utah Trust Lands Administration for solar energy generation. Agreements are also in place to bring natural gas from Wyoming via a new pipeline.
At full build-out, Creekstone projects the campus will have over 10 gigawatts of electrical capacity, which the company states is more than double the state of Utah’s current entire consumption. While 6 gigawatts are expected from solar and 1.8 gigawatts from the Intermountain Power Project near Delta, about 2.1 gigawatts will come from natural gas. Project Oasis is projected to generate 4,000 acre-feet of water annually, equivalent to approximately 1.3 billion gallons.
Although large-scale water generation is still several years away, Conley said announcing the technology now is important for public understanding that some in the data center industry are pushing for environmental innovation. He hopes to build a working pilot program near the construction site, with University of Utah results expected next summer. After approximately two years, the company anticipates knowing whether to scale up the technology.
The generated water could potentially be used for various purposes, including irrigation, agriculture, and geothermal energy cycles. Conley also believes the water, with some filtration, could be potable, as it is primarily precipitated water from combustion, lacking harmful chemicals.
In April, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity awarded Creekstone Energy a post-performance tax incentive for the Millard County project. This agreement is tied to the creation of 106 jobs with total wages of $333 million over 20 years, averaging an annual salary of about $162,148. The company was awarded a 50% tax credit, amounting to about $172 million in tax savings over two decades. The Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity also reported in April that Creekstone Energy is expected to invest over $17 billion in Utah and generate more than $334 million in new state revenue over the next 20 years. Creekstone has also committed to an "essentially waterless operation" for the data center itself, using a dry cooling system and only requiring water for sanitation and drinking.
