Data centers are turning to old jet engines as the wait for power grows
Jet engines are the definition of a stopgap, and not a clean one. They burn fuel at ground level where they're less efficient than the big combined-cycle turbines they're standing in for, and they emit more per megawatt-hour. That data center builders are willing to take that deal anyway tells you everything about how desperate the power queue has become. Grid interconnection waits can stretch for years, which might as well be an eternity when you're racing to stand up AI capacity.
What makes this interesting is the economics underneath it. A retired jet engine was once a disposal liability. Now it's a dispatchable asset that can be deployed far faster than a new turbine plant. The market is effectively pricing urgency above efficiency, and that's a rational response to a broken permitting and interconnection system, even if it's an ugly one for emissions goals.
I'd want to know how long these units are expected to stay in service. If they're a two-year bridge until grid capacity arrives, fine. If they become a permanent fixture because the wait never shrinks, that's a much bigger problem, both for the climate and for the operating costs of every AI data center that thought it was buying a temporary fix.