Golden Valley Technology Hub data center, Tupman, California

Beacon Data Centers and California Resources Corporation announced in June 2026 the Golden Valley Technology Hub, a 275-megawatt data center development on the Elk Hills Oil Field about 20 miles west of Bakersfield, in Kern County, California. The 600,000-square-foot campus would sit on 100 acres of the field, more than a mile from the nearest homes. Elk Hills was discovered in 1911, covers 75 square miles and has produced more than two billion barrels of oil.

CRC's Elk Hills plant, running below capacity, would supply almost all the campus's electricity, with the grid as backup and fifteen 2.5 megawatt diesel generators behind that. Cooling would be closed loop, which the companies say would consume enough water to fill an Olympic swimming pool over ten years, and noise barriers are planned round the site.

Chris Gould, CRC's chief sustainability officer, made the case for reusing an industrial site: it means "creating jobs and tax revenue in Kern County, utilizing dedicated on-site power, and employing one of the industry's most water-efficient cooling systems." CRC submitted about 150 residents' signatures in support; at least five of those people are connected to the local oil industry.

Nina Robertson of Earthjustice said: "You should be powering any data centers in California with zero-emission energy." Earthjustice, the Center for Biological Diversity and other groups have sued Kern County over its approval of a related CRC carbon capture project, and that litigation is ongoing. Gabriel Collins, a researcher at Rice University, summed up the argument: "Where you stand on these things depends on where you sit."

CRC has held community meetings with residents of nearby Taft and Buttonwillow, and the project faces strict environmental review as part of its permit application, which could take about a year.