NEWS / NOV.2026
BloombergNEF identifies 181 GW of proposed gas-fired capacity at data center sites
BloombergNEF has identified proposed gas-fired power plants totaling 181 gigawatts at data center sites, including 165 in the United States. The projects are at different stages, and it remains uncertain how much capacity will come online.
BloombergNEF identifies 181 GW of proposed on-site gas-fired capacity for data centers, including 165 GW in the United States
On November 11, 2026, BloombergNEF published its tally of gas-fired power plants that developers plan to build at data center sites. As of October 5, the announced projects totaled 181 gigawatts (GW). How much capacity comes online will depend on which projects reach completion.
The United States accounts for 165 GW, or more than 90% of the announced capacity. Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland also appear in BloombergNEF’s tally.
In the United Kingdom, the developers of Wapseys Wood and Quest Park want to be able to start up their servers before their sites are connected to the grid. They are seeking to build their own gas-fired plants to generate that electricity on site, The Guardian reports.
To estimate US emissions, BloombergNEF assumes that all the announced US projects reach completion. Its calculation uses an average capacity factor of 60%. Over the course of a year, the plants would therefore generate 60% of the electricity they could supply if they ran at full capacity all year.
In this scenario, BloombergNEF estimates that the plants would emit 345 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year. That total includes 152 million tonnes more than the US grid would emit on average to supply the same electricity. This implies that the grid would emit about 193 million tonnes per year to supply the same amount of electricity. The additional 152 million tonnes alone would be equivalent to about 10% of US power sector emissions in 2025.
Even after a data center is connected to the grid, its operator could have an incentive to keep burning gas if generating electricity on site costs less than buying it from the grid, BloombergNEF notes.