Looney resigned from BP in 2023 amid an investigation into his relationships with colleagues. The oil firm found that he committed “serious misconduct” by failing to disclose these relationships.
He has now joined a startup attempting to develop sustainable, energy-efficient hyperscale data centres, including a flagship $10 billion facility in Evanston, Wyoming, which will be among the largest facilities of its kind in the world when completed.
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Looney will provide strategic guidance on the development of the company’s growth plans and will ensure the execution of its efforts in Evanston are successful.
Looney expressed delight over his new role, adding: “Innovative power solutions are desperately needed to ensure that AI is unleashed to tackle some of the biggest global challenges including healthcare, economic growth, and the energy transition.
“We must work to find solutions that lead to Net Positive AI – where the benefits to our world outweigh any costs.”
Prometheus was founded by Trenton Thornock, an experienced investor in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
The startup is attempting to build sustainable data centre facilities in the US, adding new liquid-cooled sites that cater to hyperscale-level workloads.
Prometheus’ Evanston site, set to become operational in 2025/26, will span 640 acres, around three-quarters the size of New York’s Central Park.
The 1GW-capacity site will leverage a mix of wind, solar and gas power sources as well as fission-based nuclear power from Oklo, the Sam Altman-backed startup which shares a strategic partnership with Prometheus.
Beyond Wyoming, Prometheus said it has earmarked four potential sites for data centres in Arizona and Colorado.
“[Looney]’s insights, as well as his extensive operational and project delivery experience, will be invaluable as we bring our flagship project in Evanston, Wyoming to life and set new benchmarks for sustainable digital infrastructure,” Thornock said.
Looney follows Trevor Neilson to Prometheus. Neilson, a seasoned climate technology entrepreneur, will serve as the company’s president.
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