Underwater AI data center plan faces scrutiny in Alaska
DeepGreen Cook Inlet SPV LLC has applied for a federal permit to study an underwater AI data center campus in Alaska's Cook Inlet, planning to use tidal power and ocean cooling. The project faces immediate pushback from blindsided Alaska state officials and raises significant environmental concerns regarding the marine ecosystem. A similar DeepGreen project in Maine led to a construction moratorium due to local opposition.
DeepGreen Cook Inlet SPV LLC, a Delaware-registered corporation, is seeking a federal permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to develop an underwater AI data center campus in Alaska's Cook Inlet. The proposed facility would operate 45 to 166 feet below the surface, utilizing ocean water for cooling and 350 tidal turbines for power. DeepGreen claims the project would integrate with the Alaska Energy Authority's $400 million Cook Inlet PowerLink project, a submarine transmission line.
However, the initiative has met with significant skepticism. Curtis Thayer, CEO of the Alaska Energy Authority, stated his organization had no prior contact with DeepGreen and found inaccuracies in their regulatory filing. Louis Wolfson, DeepGreen's managing member, emphasized that subsea data centers circumvent the real estate, grid strain, and freshwater consumption issues of land-based facilities.
A similar DeepGreen project, Deep Green Western Passage SPV, is under study in Maine's Bay of Fundy, where it has faced strong local resistance. The Eastport City Council enacted a six-month moratorium on construction due to concerns from Maine's fishing industry and lobstermen about the project's marine ecosystem impact, particularly potential thermal pollution. Federal regulators recently accepted Deep Green Western Passage’s permit filing for the Maine project after initial deficiencies were addressed, which included a failure to contact local tribes and municipalities.