Power plant developer NRG Energy Inc. is partnering with GE Vernova Inc. and Kiewit Corp. on a venture to expedite natural gas power plant projects for data centers. The companies already have plans to build four plants totaling 5 GW in Texas and mid-Atlantic states.

The companies are looking to meet growing power demand for computing and generative artificial intelligence. In a statement, they said they aim to shorten the timeline from plant planning to operations by combining NRG’s experience in power generation development, GE Vernova’s equipment manufacturing and Kiewit unit TIC’s specialization in engineering, procurement and construction. Kiewit ranks No. 2 overall on the ENR Top 400 Contractors list and No. 2 in the power segment.

The firms did not disclose the amount of the project investment.

“The growing demand for electricity in part due to [generative AI] and the buildup of data centers means we need to form new, innovative partnerships to quickly increase America’s dispatchable generation,” said Robert Gaudette, executive vice president of NRG’s business and wholesale operations, in a statement. 

The team's first 1.2-GW plant is scheduled to begin operating in 2029 with a pair of GE Vernova gas turbines. The others are planned to come online through 2032.

NRG declined to share specific locations for the initial plants, but said they would be within the markets of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the grid covering most of the state, and the PJM Interconnection, which covers a region between New Jersey, Virginia and Illinois including all or part of 13 states and Washington, D.C. 

Multiple data center projects are in varying stages of development in those areas, particularly parts of Texas, Virginia, Ohio and New Jersey.

NRG calls the partnership’s model “replicable and scalable, with the potential to fill a future pipeline of 10 to 15 GW and expand to other areas across the U.S.”