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California Resources and Bloom Energy signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly evaluate 1GW or more of solid-oxide fuel cell generation in California. The non-binding agreement names data centers, utilities, community choice aggregators, municipalities, and other industrial users as potential offtake customers. California Resources announced the 
Featured: Wide landscape photo of an operational Bloom Energy fuel cell installation supplying clean, firm power in California.MOU with its carbon management subsidiary, Carbon TerraVault, on Nov. 2.
Bloom Energy supplies the solid-oxide fuel cells and third-party carbon capture technology. Carbon TerraVault handles CO2 transport and permanent storage, and California Resources manages project development. The plan covers front-of-the-meter projects that would connect to utility offtake and Carbon TerraVault storage, plus behind-the-meter projects across California Resources' Central Valley footprint that would supply on-site power to industrial users, according to Data Center Dynamics.
The companies are considering projects in Central and Northern California that could make up to 3 million metric tons per year of CO2 available for capture and permanent storage. Bloom's fuel cells generate electricity through an electrochemical process rather than combustion, producing a concentrated CO2 exhaust stream. Carbon Herald reports that the concentration cuts the energy and capital cost of separating the CO2.
"California needs more clean, firm, reliable, and affordable power generated here at home," said Francisco Leon, president and chief executive officer of California Resources. "We are uniquely positioned with land, vast subsurface storage, and CO2 transportation and storage expertise."
"Our non-combustion technology makes carbon capture more efficient and economically viable at scale, opening a new path to carbon-neutral power generation," said Aman Joshi, Bloom Energy's chief commercial officer.
The MOU is not binding. The companies say projects depend on definitive documents, a final investment decision, EPA Class VI permits and other regulatory approvals. ad-hoc-news.de reported that no binding order sits behind the 1GW target.
Bloom Energy has signed other data center power agreements, including an expanded Oracle deal for up to 2.8GW of fuel cells and an Equinix agreement covering 19 data centers, Data Center Dynamics reports. Utility American Electric Power holds an agreement for up to 1GW of Bloom fuel cells for AI data centers.
Baxtel tracks 309 data center facilities in California totaling 1,524 MW, led by Digital Realty Trust with 21 sites. The largest is Vantage Data Centers' Santa Clara CA3 campus at 32 megawatts.
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