What it means
A gas-to-power project burns natural gas in turbines or engines to make electricity. The power can feed the grid, serve a data center on the same site, or both. Developers look at it when grid power will take too long to arrive.
What a gas-to-power site needs
- A gas pipeline close by with enough capacity and pressure.
- A right to tap the pipeline and a contract for delivery.
- An air permit, which is harder in areas that do not meet federal air quality standards.
- Land for the plant, and water for some designs.
- A grid connection if the plant will also sell power or draw backup.
How Voltane screens it
Voltane shows mapped gas pipelines near a Texas site, with the distance to the nearest one. This is proximity only. A mapped line is not deliverable fuel, firm transport, pressure or a tap right. Voltane also shows a county-level air quality signal from EPA data as a permitting flag, not a prohibition.
Questions people ask
Does a nearby pipeline mean gas is available?
No. The pipeline may be full, the wrong type, or closed to new taps. Only the pipeline operator can confirm supply.
Is gas-to-power always behind the meter?
No. Some plants sell all their output to the grid. Others serve an on-site load directly, and some do both.
Related
More glossary
- What is time to power?
- What is powered land?
- What is a powered shell?
- What is large load interconnection?
- What is a point of interconnection?
- What is an interconnection queue?
- What is queue position?
- What is ERCOT?
Need a site, or have one?
Tell us what you need and Voltane finds, reports on and prices candidate sites in ERCOT. Or bring a site you already have for a path-to-power report (by request for now).