ExxonMobil Planning Large Gas-Fired Plant to Serve Data Centers

SEATTLE (Oil Monster): ExxonMobil is preparing to join the power generation business, seeing an opportunity to support the electricity supply for energy-intensive data centers.

The company on Dec. 11 said it is designing what was referred to as a “massive” natural gas-fired power plant that would be dedicated to producing power for data centers. Reports said the facility could have generating capacity of more than 1,500 MW.

Darren Woods, Exxon’s chief executive, in a media call on Wednesday said, “There are very few opportunities in the short term to power those data centers and do it in a way that at the same time minimizes, if not completely eliminates, the emissions.” There currently are no U.S. natural gas-fired power plants with carbon capture technology, although NET Power on Monday said it would build gas-fired generation in California and utilize carbon capture.

Electric utilities and power generators are scrambling to find ways to serve what’s expected to be an exponential increase in energy demand from artificial intelligence and the high-tech sector. Natural gas, in part due to its lower cost, has emerged as a leading option for an industry looking for 24/7 electricity. Nuclear power also is being considered, along with renewable energy and energy storage. Some utilities also have said they expect to keep coal-fired power units online longer than expected to help meet increasing demand for electricity.

Exxon said its gas-fired plant would have technology to capture more than 90% of the facility’s emissions of carbon dioxide. The company said the project is still in the early stages of development. Exxon has built gas-fired plants previously, but only to serve the company’s own operations.

Courtesy: www.powermag.com