Sage Geosystems, a Texas-based geothermal energy startup, has been tapped to build a new facility to power data centers operated by Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, the companies announced this week. While a specific location has not been identified, the project would be the first use of next-generation geothermal power east of the Rocky Mountains, according to the companies’ announcement.
Meta would take power from the grid and subsidize the geothermal facility with a power purchase agreement, the value of which Taff and Parekh declined to disclose. As for the companies’ commitment to locating the project east of the Rockies, Parekh said Meta wanted to use the partnership as an opportunity to deploy next-generation geothermal in areas that haven’t yet seen its benefits. “We wanted to ensure that we could push the boundaries of where it could be applied,” Parekh said.