Lenoir

Google · Lenoir, North Carolina

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The resource footprint

Modelled average

In one day, this campus consumes about

3.2750-metre swimming pools

Filled with the volume of water consumed by the campus and its electricity supply.

The actual estimate2,162,883 US gallons consumed

50-metre pools · 2 metres deep

Each diagram = 1 pool. Partial shading shows the remainder.

At the campus943,629 galMaking its electricity1,219,254 gal

Power-plant water may come from a different watershed. This is a volume comparison, not a claim that households lose this water.

At current operating capacity · Annual model spread evenly over time, not a live meter. Site estimates may differ by roughly ±40%.

Comparison sizes & sources

One pool = 50 × 25 × 2 metres = 2.5 million litres (about 660,430 US gallons). Pool depths vary; this is a defined comparison size.

One home-year = 10,791 kWh, the EIA’s 2022 average US residential electricity purchases. This excludes electricity generated at home and is a fixed US benchmark for all sites.

One car-year = 4.6 tonnes CO₂, the EPA’s typical passenger vehicle tailpipe estimate. The campus model is in CO₂e; the comparison expresses approximate climate scale, not equal mixtures of pollutants.

Monthly values are annual totals ÷ 12; daily values are annual totals ÷ 365. Actual demand varies. Comparisons cover the whole campus, including non-AI uses.

Water: see the numbers and sources

This is water used up, mainly through evaporation. Power-generation water may be used in a different watershed.

Total water use789M gal/yr

Evaporated on site344M gal

Making the power445M gal

Household comparison9,868homes, at 80,000 gal/year

Pressure on local water: Low-Medium — a regional measure of demand compared with available water
Where the water comes from: Municipal potable supply
Cooling: Evaporative towers
Basis: Fitted to a published figure of 344 million gallons a year (2025)
Operator table: Withdrew 378 million gallons, discharged 34.0, consumed 344
Claimed vs observed: Google 2026 Environmental Report (FY2025): withdrew 378.3 million gallons, discharged 34.0, consumed 344.3.

Air: see the numbers and sources

The totals include nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and fine particles. They cover both this site and the power plants supplying it.

Nitrogen oxides133t/yr

Sulphur dioxide225t/yr

Fine particulates21.4t PM2.5

Health (EPA)$22.2M/yr

Health range: $7.79–22.2 million a year. Lower bound is EASIUR national mid-range; upper is EPA benefit-per-ton at a ~$12M VSL.
Statistical deaths: 1.85 a year at that VSL — a national-average conversion from tons, not a local concentration study.
Equals: 165,909 cars of NOx
Where it burns: Southern Co. — Georgia / Alabama
Generation mix: Gas 48 · Nuclear 28 · Coal 15
Diesel backup: Diesel backup is not yet counted for this campus, so on-site air figures are a floor.
CO₂e: 337 kt/yr — climate, not air quality

The project, approvals and community concerns

Who asked for it: Google — self-build
Who approved it: Caldwell County and City of Lenoir incentives on former furniture-factory land; Duke Energy supply
What it serves: Google Search, Cloud and storage
IT capacity: 150 MW current capacity / 300 MW full-build scenario

Google consumed 344 million gallons here in 2025. One of the first big US campuses sited explicitly on a collapsed manufacturing base — the furniture industry's exit left the power, water and workforce that Google bought into in 2007.

Keep this guide handy

35.9140°, -81.5390°

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Quote or share these estimates

Gigawatt Ledger (2026). Lenoir: water and air. https://gigawatt-ledger.pages.dev/site/lenoir/. Modelled from disclosed capacity; site-level error ±40%.

Include the estimate’s date, whether it describes current or proposed capacity, and its uncertainty. Get an embeddable card.

Gigawatt Ledger · September 2026. Water and air figures are estimated from public records and disclosed capacity. How we calculate them · Use this in your community.