Google representatives tell South Carolina subcommittee data centers pay infrastructure costs and work to limit grid impacts

Rachel Wilson, identified as Google’s southeast lead for energy market development, told a legislative subcommittee she was at the meeting "to answer any questions that you and the members of the committee have on Google and our presence in South Carolina." She said Google operates a data center in Berkeley County (operational since 2008), has two additional data centers under construction in Dorchester County, and a subsea cable landing near Myrtle Beach.

Wilson described how Google connects to local distribution providers, telling the panel that "we pay the Berkeley Electric Co‑op rates, and they, in turn, get energy via central from Santee Cooper," clarifying Google does not pay Santee Cooper directly. On whether utilities could curtail service, she said distribution providers could curtail load in peak or emergency conditions and that Google works with utility partners on timing, resource types and a "load ramp" that stages demand over time.

Pressed on whether Google funds upgrades, Wilson said the company is "fully committed to paying for 100% of the energy infrastructure costs that are going toward the generation and transmission that are used to serve our data centers," including new facilities or necessary upgrades. She listed specific policy tools Google advocates for to ensure cost recovery, such as minimum billing percentages, upfront collateral and termination or exit fees, which she said could be implemented while preserving PSC authority over contract specifics.

Committee members questioned water use and cooling systems. Wilson said cooling decisions are site specific and that Google does not use closed‑loop cooling at the Berkeley site or the Dorchester facilities currently under construction, adding that Google reports annual water use for each U.S. data center and has a policy to replenish 120% of the water it takes.

On grid flexibility, Wilson said Google has capabilities to reduce demand and shift load between sites. She told the subcommittee the company "hit 1 gigawatt in total demand response capacity at our data centers in the U.S.," and that Google can schedule noncritical operations for less constrained times to relieve local grid stress.

Wilson declined to provide on‑the‑spot figures for some items the committee asked about — including Berkeley County's current take rate and specific tax‑revenue amounts — and offered to provide those numbers after the hearing.

The hearing included exchanges about community engagement and siting authority. Wilson said Google engages stakeholders early and believes local governments have important expertise for siting decisions while the Public Service Commission has rate‑setting authority. "The decisions that we make really do take into consideration the things that we are hearing from the folks who are living and working in the communities in which we're considering," she said.

The subcommittee did not take a formal vote on data‑center legislation during Wilson’s testimony; members asked for written materials and follow‑up on several technical details the company offered to supply.