Google files request for 200+ additional emergency generators at Fort Wayne data center
Google has submitted a request to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to add 228 emergency generators to its Fort Wayne data center. This follows a previous approval for over 140 generators, with Google assuring the units will primarily serve as a backup during power outages and for required maintenance. The company states that the site will remain within state-mandated emissions caps.
Google has filed a third air permit modification application with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to add 228 emergency generators to its data center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This request follows IDEM's approval in April for the addition of more than 140 emergency diesel generators, which had seen public pushback. The project previously received initial approval in 2024 for 34 main diesel generators.
A Google spokesperson stated that these additional backup generators are intended as a safety net for local power grid outages and for legally required maintenance checks, with an anticipated usage of less than 10 hours per generator annually. Google also emphasized that these EPA-certified generators would use ultra-low sulfur diesel or renewable alternatives like Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) and that the facility would continue to operate below its state-mandated emissions cap. Air pollution controls are also being installed to ensure units meet or exceed EPA Tier 4 emission standards.
While IDEM's website currently shows no information about a public hearing for this specific generator request, the department recently approved separate requests from the developers to fill over two acres of wetlands for the data center's expansion.