“We see a world that requires enormous compute power, a world that requires enormous electricity!” – Jon Gray, President & COO, Blackstone
Late last month, Blackstone announced that their energy investment arm, Blackstone Energy Transition Partners, agreed to acquire Potomac Energy Center, a 774-megawatt natural-gas combined-cycle power plant in Loudoun County, Virginia. Potomac is one of the most efficient gas power plants in the United States and has the potential to integrate a hydrogen fuel blend in the future. According to data compiled by Hitachi Energy’s Velocity Suite researchers, over the past five years, the plant’s capacity factor has averaged nearly 70% with an efficient average heat rate of near 6,800 Btu/kWh. Since the plant came online in 2017, it has generated more than 34 million megawatt hours (MWh). The plant contributes about 8% of total natural gas power production across the state. The Northern Virginia region currently represents approximately 25 percent of U.S. data center capacity, and the Potomac plant is near over 130 data centers – with significant further growth expected.
News release: Blackstone Energy Transition Partners to acquire Potomac Energy Center: https://lnkd.in/d-Rt8Zye
Jon Gray on AI, datacenters, and the imminent electricity boom: https://lnkd.in/dn3QP4Bs
Kent Knutson
Top Contributor