Google's Indian data center authorized for 2.51 GW, more than double the 1 GW announced

Andhra Pradesh's environmental clearance documents, obtained by The Guardian, describe a capacity far superior to public communication of the project.

Google's data center project in Visakhapatnam, in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, is publicly presented as a $15 billion investment for a capacity of about 1 gigawatt. The documents of the environmental authorization issued by the state, consulted by The Guardian, show a completely different figure: 2.51 GW.

The order of magnitude changes the nature of the case. 2.51 GW corresponds approximately to the production of two large nuclear reactors, and more than 30% of the State's current annual electricity consumption. The authorization would have been granted in nine days, without a public hearing.

The site, developed with AdaniConneX and Airtel, is already the subject of several appeals over its impact on water resources and its proximity to a nature reserve home to leopards and pangolins. The gap between advertised and authorized capacity becomes an early test for what is Google's largest investment in India.