Trevor Mihalik

Stories

AEP plans $4 billion fuel cell plant for Google, signs up to 1.6 GW generator deal

Managing the $100 billion capital plan and the Wyoming project's schedule

American Electric Power will spend about $4 billion on a 702-megawatt fuel cell plant near Cheyenne, Wyoming, to supply Google under a 20-year contract. The utility also bought 190 megawatts of Mainspring linear generators, with options to reach 1.6 gigawatts by 2034. Neither system burns fuel in a turbine, unlike the gas plants supplying most of AEP's new capacity.

Updated Nov 1

Notable Quotes

"Those fuel cells need to be installed and ready to go by the end of 2028 to qualify for the investment tax credit." — Q2 2026 earnings call, July 30

from AEP plans $4 billion fuel cell plant for Google, signs up to 1.6 GW generator deal · Updated Nov 1

"Contracted customer demand is growing faster than the operating output of our existing fleet, creating a clear durable need for new baseload dispatchable generation." — Q3 2026 earnings call, October 28

from AEP plans $4 billion fuel cell plant for Google, signs up to 1.6 GW generator deal · Updated Nov 1