🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Superpower backlog tops $1.25 billion with unclear terms and timing

• Boom lists more than $1.25 billion in orders, including Crusoe’s 29 natural-gas Superpower units totaling 1.21 gigawatts 1, but it has not detailed firmness or delivery timing.
• Pricing is about $1,033 per kilowatt 2, below typical aeroderivative turbines (power-plant turbines derived from jet engines) at $1,600 per kilowatt 2, while pollution controls and electrical connections remain on Crusoe’s tab 2.
• First deliveries land in 2027 2. Output targets reach 1 gigawatt (GW) in 2028, 2 GW in 2029, and 4 GW in 2030 2. Efficiency aims for 39 percent with a field upgrade for combined cycle; combined cycle turbines (gas turbines paired with a steam cycle to capture waste heat) exceed 60 percent 2.

Permitting consultants can target AI data center regions with faster air permits

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued Sept. 2025 guidance that loosened New Source Review (NSR) pre-construction air permitting 3 and allows foundation and shell work before air permits for emissions units are issued 3.
• Texas has more than 100 proposed gas-fired power plants totaling 58,000 megawatts (58 GW) for AI data centers and heavy industries 4, with over 60 projects targeting completion by end of 2028 4.
• Pennsylvania has over $90 billion in AI data center investments 5, including Homer City’s 3,200-acre campus with up to 4.5 GW 5, so firms in expedited air permitting, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems (nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution controls), and microgrid (localized power network) interconnection can prioritize outreach in these states.