DeepGreen is seeking permission to study an underwater AI data centre in endangered Cook Inlet beluga habitat, and the public comment deadline is 2 November. The application is for studies, not construction, but the proposed turbines’ noise and effects on the inlet’s whales remain unknown.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
Nature World News reports that DeepGreen Cook Inlet SPV has applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a preliminary permit. The proposal would use roughly 330 to 350 tidal turbines to power up to 66 seabed server pods, with a capacity of about 100 megawatts.
The deadline for comments, intervention requests and competing applications is 5pm Eastern time on 2 November, under FERC docket P-15423. Comments can be filed through FERC’s eLibrary system. A preliminary permit would give the company time to study the site, potentially for up to four years, and priority over competing developers. It would not authorise construction; a separate licence and environmental review would still be required.
Why it matters
The Cook Inlet beluga population is endangered. Nature World News cites a NOAA estimate of 331 whales, based on a 2022 survey, and says the project record does not yet describe turbine noise, installation methods or how equipment would be anchored in the inlet’s strong currents.
Those are not minor engineering footnotes in a habitat where whales rely on sound to hunt and communicate. A permit to study is not approval to build, but it could shape who gets to develop the site and what questions are considered next.
Our read
The proposal is at an early stage, and the unknowns are substantial. That is precisely why the approaching deadline matters: residents, fishing groups, local governments and others have a formal chance to put concerns on the record before FERC decides whether to grant the study permit.
For anyone weighing in, the practical distinction is worth knowing: a comment goes on the record; a motion to intervene gives formal party status and the right to challenge a decision. The power-and-cooling pitch is clear. The evidence on what the turbines might mean for the whales is not yet there.
What to watch
- Whether FERC grants or denies the preliminary permit, and when it decides.
- What studies establish about turbine noise, installation and habitat effects.
- Whether the project’s proposed transmission connection advances. Read Nature World News’ report.
Discussion spark: Should FERC let DeepGreen study the site before the project’s potential noise and habitat effects are better understood, or is that exactly what the permit stage is for?
Sources and evidence
- Nov. 2 Deadline Nears for Tidal-Powered AI Data Center Proposed in Endangered Cook Inlet Beluga Habitat (29 October 2026, 03:43 UTC)
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