# 432 planned power plants sit within 40 km of a data center project By Spezia. Published November 10, 2026. Updated November 10, 2026. Data as of November 9, 2026. Canonical page: https://spezia.ai/blog/power-plants-near-data-centers ## The short answer Of the 1,608 U.S. power plants planned in the federal inventory (290 GW), 432 plants with 83.8 GW sit within 40 km of a data center project Spezia tracks. Gas makes up 42.1% of that nearby capacity, against 24.5% of planned capacity nationwide. Nearly all planned nuclear capacity is nearby. Near is a distance, not proof that a plant serves a data center. - 432 of 1,608 planned plants, with 83.8 of 290.2 GW (29% of the capacity), are within 40 km of a tracked data center project. - Gas is 42.1% of the nearby capacity and 24.5% of all planned capacity. - 90% of planned nuclear capacity is nearby, against 21% of planned solar. - About half of planned gas capacity (35.3 of 71.1 GW) is near a data center project. - Near is a distance rule. It does not mean a plant is built for, or sells to, a data center. ## How much new power is planned in the U.S.? The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) keeps a monthly inventory of power plants that owners have reported as planned. In its September 2026 edition, it lists **1,608 planned plants** with **290.2 GW** of new capacity. The inventory covers new generators of 1 MW or more, including batteries. Solar is the largest share. Gas and batteries come next. **Planned U.S. power capacity, by fuel** | | Value | Note | | --- | ---: | --- | | Solar | 42% | 122.0 GW | | Batteries | 22% | 64.2 GW | | Natural gas | 24% | 71.1 GW | | Wind | 8% | 23.5 GW | | Nuclear | 2% | 5.0 GW | | Everything else | 2% | 4.4 GW | *Share of 290.2 GW planned nationwide. Source: EIA-860M, September 2026 edition, grouped by Spezia.* ## How much of it is near a data center? 432 plants, with 83.8 GW, or 29% of the planned capacity. Spezia counts a plant as near if it sits within 40 km, about 25 miles, of a data center project in its tracker. - **432**: planned plants within 40 km of a tracked project - **83.8 GW**: of planned capacity at those plants - **29%**: of all planned U.S. capacity - **90%**: of planned nuclear capacity The match is a distance, nothing more. A plant can be near a data center because both are drawn to the same place: cheap land, a strong grid connection, a fuel supply. It does not mean the plant will sell power to that data center, or that the data center will ever be built. ## What kind of power is planned near data centers? More gas, and almost all of the nuclear. The mix near data center projects differs sharply from the national mix. | Fuel | Planned nationally | Share | Planned near data centers | Share | Share of that fuel that is near | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | Natural gas | 71.1 GW | 24.5% | 35.3 GW | 42.1% | 50% | | Solar (photovoltaic) | 122.0 GW | 42.0% | 26.2 GW | 31.2% | 21% | | Batteries | 64.2 GW | 22.1% | 15.2 GW | 18.2% | 24% | | Nuclear | 5.0 GW | 1.7% | 4.5 GW | 5.3% | 90% | | Wind | 23.5 GW | 8.1% | 2.2 GW | 2.6% | 9% | | Everything else | 4.4 GW | 1.5% | 0.5 GW | 0.6% | 11% | Three things stand out. - **Gas is overweight.** It is 42.1% of the capacity near data center projects and 24.5% of the national plan. Roughly half of all planned gas capacity, 35.3 of 71.1 GW, is near a tracked project. - **Nuclear is almost all nearby.** 4.5 of 5.0 GW of planned nuclear capacity, 90%, is within 40 km. The total is small, 1.7% of the plan, but it is concentrated where data centers are. - **Wind is underweight.** It is 8% of the national plan and 3% of the capacity nearby. None of the offshore wind in the plan is near a tracked project. Solar leads the national plan and is second near data center projects, behind gas. Batteries are third in both. Together solar and batteries are 49% of what is nearby. ## Is the power for data centers mostly gas? Near data center projects, gas is the largest single fuel in the plan, and it is overweight against the national mix. Company filings and reporting show how that looks case by case. Entergy Louisiana's quarterly report describes an application to certify [seven new combined-cycle units totaling 5,278 MW](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/65984/000006598426000325/etr-20260930.htm), alongside a service agreement with a Meta subsidiary for a second new data center in north Louisiana. The application is still before regulators. In Texas, the Taylor city council voted 5 to 0 on October 8 to approve an agreement for a campus that could reach 1 GW, planned with [behind-the-meter gas power](https://baxtel.com/news/taylor-approves-1gw-gas-fired-data-center-campus-for-big-watt-powerhouse), meaning it would supply itself rather than draw from the grid. Google's planned Wyoming buildout near Cheyenne is reported to rely on a [702 MW fuel-cell plant as its main source, with carbon capture](https://thenextweb.com/news/google-wyoming-data-centre-17b-fuel-cells-carbon-capture), plus power bought from gas plants. Nuclear shows up as contracts rather than new plants. Vistra's quarterly report describes [20-year agreements to supply Meta with 2,609 MW](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1692819/000169281926000025/vistra-20260930.htm) of carbon-free power and capacity. On the demand side, Southern Company reports [about 16 GW of large-load contracts](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/92122/000009212226000069/so-20260930.htm) with new data centers and other large customers since 2023. Put together: developers and utilities are reaching for power they can count on, quickly and in large blocks. That is the pressure behind [the gigawatt power wall](https://spezia.ai/blog/gigawatt-data-center-power-wall). ## What should you do with this? Spezia's read, by reader: - **Utilities and grid planners.** The 432 nearby plants are where new generation and new load are likely to meet. They are also where interconnection queues will be busiest. - **Investors.** Watch the share that can run on demand. 39.8 GW of the nearby plan is gas or nuclear, and batteries add 15.2 GW. - **Suppliers.** A 35.3 GW gas plan near data centers is a demand signal for turbines and electrical gear, though only a share of it will be built. - **Anyone checking a project.** Look up whether a nearby plant exists, then ask whether it has a signed agreement to serve the site. [How to vet a data center project](https://spezia.ai/blog/how-to-vet-a-data-center-project) lists the questions. See planned plants tied to data center projects, planned capacity by state and the grid news that decides what gets built. [Open Power and grid watch](https://spezia.ai/tools/power) ## How this was made Spezia matches the U.S. Energy Information Administration's monthly inventory of planned power plants (EIA-860M, September 2026 edition: new generators of 1 MW or more that owners report as planned) to the locations of the data center projects in its tracker. A plant is near if it sits within 40 km, about 25 miles, of a tracked project. Near does not mean the plant serves the project. Capacity is in megawatts as reported to EIA, grouped by plant. Solar means photovoltaic; the small amount of solar thermal is counted under everything else. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much new power capacity is planned in the U.S.? The EIA's September 2026 edition lists 1,608 planned plants with 290.2 GW of new capacity. By fuel, 42% is solar, 24.5% is natural gas and 22% is batteries. Wind is 8% and nuclear 1.7%. ### How much planned power is near data centers? 432 planned plants with 83.8 GW sit within 40 km of a data center project that Spezia tracks. That is 29% of all planned U.S. capacity. Near means distance only, and the plant may not serve the data center. ### Is the new power for data centers mostly gas? Near data center projects, gas is 42.1% of planned capacity, against 24.5% nationally. Solar and batteries together are 49%. The inventory shows where plants are planned, not who will buy their output. ### What is EIA-860M? EIA-860M is the U.S. Energy Information Administration's monthly update to its inventory of power plants. It lists operating and planned generators of 1 MW or more, with capacity, fuel, location and the expected start date, as reported by plant owners. ### Does a nearby power plant mean it powers the data center? No. Spezia counts any planned plant within 40 km, about 25 miles, of a tracked project. Some are built for a data center and some serve the wider grid. To know which, check for a signed power agreement or an interconnection filing naming the site. ## Sources 1. [Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (EIA-860M), September 2026](https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/), U.S. Energy Information Administration 2. [EIA-860M September 2026 edition spreadsheet](https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/xls/september_generator2026.xlsx), U.S. Energy Information Administration 3. [Spezia U.S. data center project tracker, research run of November 9, 2026](https://spezia.ai/tools/buildout), Spezia 4. [Entergy Corp, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/65984/000006598426000325/etr-20260930.htm), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 5. [Taylor approves 1GW gas-fired data center campus for Big Watt Powerhouse](https://baxtel.com/news/taylor-approves-1gw-gas-fired-data-center-campus-for-big-watt-powerhouse), Baxtel 6. [Google's first Wyoming data centre will run on gas with carbon capture](https://thenextweb.com/news/google-wyoming-data-centre-17b-fuel-cells-carbon-capture), The Next Web 7. [Vistra Corp, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1692819/000169281926000025/vistra-20260930.htm), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 8. [Southern Company, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2026](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/92122/000009212226000069/so-20260930.htm), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ## Cite this Spezia. "432 planned power plants sit within 40 km of a data center project" Spezia, November 10, 2026. https://spezia.ai/blog/power-plants-near-data-centers