Burgum Tours Utah Geothermal Site Tied to Data Center
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited a Beaver County, Utah geothermal power site as Fervo discusses supplying a Google data center.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Data Centers
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U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited a geothermal power site in Beaver County, Utah, on Wednesday with several staffers. Fervo, which operates the site, is in talks with Google to supply power for a hyperscale data center.
Why it matters
The visit highlights how geothermal energy is being considered as a power source for energy-hungry data centers. Burgum framed the site as an example of President Trump's energy dominance agenda focused on reliable, affordable and secure energy.
Fervo's Cape station currently produces about 33 megawatts for customers in California, with a plan to reach roughly 500 megawatts by 2028. Whether the Google data center deal proceeds, and the potential scale of up to 8 gigawatts, remains unconfirmed.
The players
Doug Burgum
Doug Burgum is the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and a former governor of North Dakota who has led the department's energy policy efforts.
Fervo
Fervo is an enhanced geothermal energy company that develops geothermal power projects, including its Cape station in Utah.
The details
Burgum visited the remote site, which includes wind farms, solar farms and several geothermal projects, dozens of miles west of I-15 in Beaver County. During the visit he said foreign influence was attempting to sway communities and states against building data centers, and he responded to a ProPublica report alleging he stands to benefit from an AI boom through tech companies he has invested in, calling that claim a complete false statement.
Timeline
Wednesday: Burgum and staffers visit the Utah geothermal site
2028: Fervo targets production of around 500 megawatts
Big Picture
Geothermal developers such as Fervo are seeking to supply always-on power for hyperscale AI data centers, a demand that has grown alongside the AI boom. The Utah site's planned expansion places geothermal alongside wind and solar as one candidate for meeting that load.
Electricity supply decisions tied to data center growth can affect utility planning and regional power availability for Utah households and businesses. Whether geothermal projects like Fervo's expansion materialize will shape how much new capacity reaches local grids.
The takeaway
Watch whether the Fervo and Google data center talks produce a signed agreement, since that will indicate whether geothermal can meaningfully supply AI-driven power demand in the western United States.
Further reading
For more on the infrastructure behind this power deal, see Data Centers coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KSL.
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