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Data center campus · Elk Hills oil field near Valley Acres, west of Bakersfield, Kern County, California

Golden Valley Technology Hub

Proposed as of Aug. 27, 2026

An oil company and a data center developer propose a campus on former oilfield land, powered mainly by the company's underused gas plant. Also known as: Elk Hills data center.

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Alameda CountyAlpine CountyAmador CountyButte CountyCalaveras CountyColusa CountyContra Costa CountyDel Norte CountyEl Dorado CountyFresno CountyGlenn CountyHumboldt CountyImperial CountyInyo CountyKern CountyKings CountyLake CountyLassen CountyLos Angeles CountyMadera CountyMarin CountyMariposa CountyMendocino CountyMerced CountyModoc CountyMono CountyMonterey CountyNapa CountyNevada CountyOrange CountyPlacer CountyPlumas CountyRiverside CountySacramento CountySan Benito CountySan Bernardino CountySan Diego CountySan Francisco CountySan Joaquin CountySan Luis Obispo CountySan Mateo CountySanta Barbara CountySanta Clara CountySanta Cruz CountyShasta CountySierra CountySiskiyou CountySolano CountySonoma CountyStanislaus CountySutter CountyTehama CountyTrinity CountyTulare CountyTuolumne CountyVentura CountyYolo CountyYuba CountyGolden Valley Technology Hub · Proposed · 275 MW
Power275MW reported · stated
Floor area400,000sq ft
Site100acres

Who is behind it

ProjectGolden Valley Technology HubAlso: Elk Hills data center
Developer and teamCalifornia Resources Corp.
Beacon Data Centers
End userNot found in the recordsNot yet named in any record or credited report we have found.

The record, newest first

  1. The Taft Midway Driller reported informational meetings in Taft that week, and that CRC and Beacon filed for Kern County permits in June; construction would take 18 months after approval. (Taft Midway Driller, Aug. 27, 2026)

  2. KERO put the site at about 100 acres of former oilfield land; CRC's sustainability chief gave the facility as 400,000 square feet. (KERO 23ABC News, June 23, 2026)

  3. Grist reported that Earthjustice and other climate groups dispute CRC's description of the project as responsible, citing gas use and poor local air, and that the governor's office said the choice belongs to Kern County. (Grist, June 18, 2026)

  4. KGET reported that CRC had filed for a 600,000-square-foot facility inside the oil field, about 8 miles from Taft. (KGET 17 News, June 16, 2026)

  5. CRC said it planned to apply for a conditional use permit for a project using 275 MW of surplus Elk Hills power. (The Bakersfield Californian, June 15, 2026)

Conflicts and open questions

  • Sources conflict on size: 600,000 sq ft (KGET; Grist, on 100 acres), 400,000 sq ft (KERO, attributed to CRC, the latest figure traced to the company) and 40,000 sq ft on 90 acres (Taft Midway Driller). The county file was not opened, so the listed figure is not settled.
  • Most of The Bakersfield Californian article is scrambled for non-subscribers; only its readable opening is used here.

The full record

Status note
Permits filed with Kern County in June 2026; not approved, and the county's review and comment period had not opened as of the latest report.
Power note
275 MW of surplus Elk Hills power per The Bakersfield Californian. The Taft Midway Driller printed 25 MW; no other source opened uses that figure, but the county file was not opened to settle it.
Evidence
News reports; primary records not yet obtained
Size class
50 MW or more (tracker scope)
Map position approximate, from the reported address or area. Updated Oct. 17, 2026.