Data Center Census

Taft, Kern County, CA

Golden Valley Technology Hub

Also known as CRC Elk Hills data center, Taft data center

ProposedPermits filed with Kern County June 2026; conditional use permit and environmental review pending. No annexation found
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

California Resources Corp. (CRC) and Beacon Data Centers propose the Golden Valley Technology Hub on CRC’s Elk Hills oil field property outside Taft in Kern County. It would run on power from CRC’s existing Elk Hills gas-fired power plant, with the grid as limited backup, and use closed-loop cooling. The project needs a county conditional use permit and environmental review; reported sizes differ widely between outlets.

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity275 MW [1]
per Bakersfield Californian; Taft Midway Driller reports 25 MW
Site size90 acres [3]
Driller; 23ABC reports 100 acres
Floor area400,000 sq ft [2]
per 23ABC; Driller reports 40,000 sq ft
Permanent jobs (promised)250 [1]
up to
Construction jobs1,500 [1]
at peak

Power

Power supplySurplus power from CRC's natural gas-fired Elk Hills Power Plant; grid as limited backup [1]
Backup generators14 diesel generators of 2.5 MW each, plus batteries [1]
as proposed
Source excerpt
“Beacon said it would make sure utility ratepayers pay nothing toward the project's power-related demands by proposing back-up power in the form of batteries and a series of 14 2.5-megawatt diesel-powered electrical generators, plus a power-grid connection the center wouldn't plan to use frequently.”

Water

Coolingclosed-loop, non-evaporative [1]
500,000-gallon initial fill, ~5,000 gallons/year top-off per CRC

Local decisions & site

Nearest homes or schoolsAbout a mile and a half from the nearest home [1]
Source excerpt
“It would be cooled not by evaporation but a recirculating water system on an existing industrial site a mile and a half from the nearest home.”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Timeline

  1. CRC files permit applications with Kern County [1]

  2. Project publicly reported as Golden Valley Technology Hub [2]

  3. CRC holds informational meetings in Taft [3]

Issues raised

  • Nearest residence is about 1.4–1.5 miles away [1][3]
  • Water availability in the region has been raised as a concern for Kern data center proposals [5]

Sources

  1. CRC proposes W. Kern data center with dedicated power, closed-loop cooling
    The Bakersfield Californian · Jun 15, 2026 · news
  2. Massive AI data center proposed for Kern County's Elk Hills
    23ABC News (KERO) · Jun 24, 2026 · news
  3. CRC holds informational meetings on proposed data center
    Taft Midway Driller · Aug 27, 2026 · news
  4. Golden Valley
    Golden Valley Technology Hub (CRC / Beacon) · 2026 · company
  5. Data center proposed in Inyokern and now Taft
    KBAK/KBFX Eyewitness News · Jun 17, 2026 · news