DataCenterUpdate Enterprise data center market intelligence

Power

Powering the next MW

For an existing enterprise data center that needs roughly 1–5 MW more: what the public record shows for each path, with dates, and where it shows nothing.

  • Equipment delivery is not usable power. Lead times end when equipment arrives, not when it carries load.
  • No path wins by default. These figures measure different things and are not comparable across paths.
  • A gap means we looked. We found no current public figure we could keep up to date.

Seven paths at a glance

  1. 1Free up capacity at the existing siteDepends on your own site. No public benchmark applies.
  2. 2Phased utility serviceUtility-led. Dominion cites 1–2 years for new data centers under 50 MW in Virginia.
  3. 3Temporary rental powerUnits up to 2 MW are listed. Price and reservation need a quote.
  4. 4Put the added load somewhere elseColocation is scarce: 1.4% vacancy, rates rising.
  5. 5Continuous natural gas generationGenerators take 54–78 weeks to deliver. Permits decide whether they can run continuously.
  6. 6Fuel cellsVendor claims only. Published product sizes include 1.25 and 2.5 MW blocks.
  7. 7Storage, with something to charge itAdds capacity only with a charging source. No current public cost.

  1. 1Free up capacity at the existing site

    Depends on your own site. No public benchmark applies.

    • What can be released depends on your own load, cooling and electrical limits. We found no public figure that applies.

    Ask: Compare measured peak demand with your utility service capacity, UPS capacity and cooling capacity.

  2. 2Phased utility service

    Utility-led. Dominion cites 1–2 years for new data centers under 50 MW in Virginia.

    • For new data centers in its Virginia territory, Dominion says those under 50 MW "can frequently be connected by utilizing existing electric distribution infrastructure" and "typically require 1-2 years" from initial planning, with service provided in stages. Utility source. Dominion Energy Virginia, page retrieved 24 September 2026
    • Equipment delivery, not usable power: pad-mount transformers up to 5 MVA take 40–65 weeks from order to delivery. Practitioner source. Terrapin, 10 June 2026
    • Dominion’s large-load rate class (GS-5, from 1 January 2027) applies to customers demanding 25 MW or more. Government source. Virginia SCC order, 25 November 2025
    • Texas’s large-load interconnection standards apply in ERCOT where the total load at a single site would exceed 75 MW, unless regulators set a lower threshold. Government source. Texas SB 6, 2025

    Ask: Ask your utility for a staged service plan and timeline in writing, and who supplies each transformer and switchgear item.

  3. 3Temporary rental power

    Units up to 2 MW are listed. Price and reservation need a quote.

    • Sunbelt Rentals lists generators from 500 kW up to 2,000 kW. A listing is not a reservation. Vendor source. Sunbelt Rentals, retrieved 24 September 2026

    Gap: No current public price.

    Ask: Ask for reservation terms, fuel supply and switchgear connection, and whether running continuously needs an air permit where you are.

  4. 4Put the added load somewhere else

    Colocation is scarce: 1.4% vacancy, rates rising.

    Gap: No public price per kW for 1–5 MW requirements.

    Ask: Get a ready-for-service date in writing, not just a price.

  5. 5Continuous natural gas generation

    Generators take 54–78 weeks to deliver. Permits decide whether they can run continuously.

    • Equipment delivery, not usable power: natural gas generators of 1,000–3,000 kW take 54–78 weeks from order to delivery. Practitioner source. Terrapin, 10 June 2026
    • Texas’s streamlined permit for natural gas engines limits each engine to 400 hours of operation per rolling 12 months, so it is not a route to continuous power. Government source. TCEQ standard permit, effective 30 January 2025
    • On 21 September 2026 the governor directed TCEQ to pause issuing permits related to data center projects, and a TCEQ spokesperson told Houston Public Media that the agency has paused air and water permits and authorizations for infrastructure directly supporting data centers. TCEQ has not said publicly whether that reaches an existing facility’s expansion. Government source. Governor’s letter to TCEQ, 21 September 2026 · What to check in Texas

    Gap: No current public installed cost at this size. Permit routes for continuous operation are not yet covered.

    Ask: Ask your air regulator which authorization continuous operation needs, and your gas utility whether the supply is there.

  6. 6Fuel cells

    Vendor claims only. Published product sizes include 1.25 and 2.5 MW blocks.

    • Vendor claim: FuelCell Energy’s published product sizes include 1.25 MW and 2.5 MW block systems, and a 12.5 MW block. A published size is not an assessment of fit for a particular project. Vendor source. FuelCell Energy, retrieved 24 September 2026
    • Vendor claim: Bloom markets its data center systems as "purpose built from 20MW to 500MW," above this range, and says they are "available in as little as 90 days." Vendor source. Bloom Energy, retrieved 24 September 2026

    Gap: No public prices. "Available" is not the same as carrying load: gas supply, permits and connection come on top.

    Ask: Ask when the system would carry your load, not when it would ship.

  7. 7Storage, with something to charge it

    Adds capacity only with a charging source. No current public cost.

    • A battery adds capacity only while something with spare capacity, such as the grid off-peak or on-site generation, can recharge it.

    Gap: No current public cost for 1–5 MW systems: the published benchmarks we found are dated or utility-scale.

    Ask: Size the charging source first; the battery covers only the hours it can refill.

Checked against archived originals on 24–25 September 2026, and reviewed when a tracked source changes. Vendor figures are the vendor's own claims.