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Grid interconnection can take up to seven years; in 2024 Elon Musk's xAI avoided…
Brief
Developers are bypassing years-long grid interconnection delays by deploying mobile power plants—mobile gas turbines and jet engines—to run new data centers. xAI used semitrucked gas turbines in 2024 to energize Colossus in four months. Cleanview's 'Bypassing the Grid' documents dozens of permitted projects that could add dozens of gigawatts in 1–2 years, about 75% gas-fired, equal to five New York Cities of demand.
Why it matters
Grid interconnection can take up to seven years; in 2024 Elon Musk's xAI avoided that delay by trucking gas turbines on semitrucks and powering the Colossus data center's first phase in four months.
Key details
- Cleanview's 'Bypassing the Grid' found dozens of permit documents, site plans, and equipment orders (dozens of projects proposed in 2025) showing many are under construction; dozens of gigawatts could come online in 1–2 years, ~75% powered by natural gas — equivalent to adding the power demand of five New York Cities; one supplier is providing a few hundred MW of ship/warship engines to an Ohio data center.