Fermi America, which recently confirmed its intention to deliver one GW of online power by the end of 2026, and 11 GW of artificial intelligence capacity in the coming decade, has officially executed two strategic agreements to secure equipment critical for making the U.S. energy and AI dominant.
According to certain reports, the initial acquisition is geared towards supporting new, “in crate,” world-class Siemens Frame industrial gas turbines in what would be a highly efficient combined cycle mode.
More on that would reveal that, purchased from Firebird LNG in conjunction with Siemens Energy, Fermi’s new equipment packs together six SGT800 gas turbines, six heat recovery steam generators, and one SST600 steam turbine. The package, estimated to be 400-plus MW at site elevation, further boasts six gas turbine exhaust venting systems that facilitate reliable, simple-cycle operation in the event of steam turbine outages or maintenance.
“We realized months ago that the number one challenge to delivering on President Trump’s executive orders for energy dominance in the AI race with China was the supply chain,” said Toby Neugebauer, co-founder at Fermi America, “In order to position America’s hyperscalers with the new energy they require for AI, our team prioritized purchasing equipment for over 600 megawatts of the one gigawatt of generation to be offered by the end of 2026. Today’s announcement shows that Fermi America is doing what it takes to deliver at an unprecedented scale.
Another detail worth a mention relates to the availability of a full load HHV heat rate in the low 7000 BTU per kWh range, which ensures that Fermi America asset’s per unit CO2 greenhouse gas emissions are more than 30% below either marginal grid power supply emissions or a typical competing campus’s on-site generation.
Beyond that, Fermi has also cultivated plans to use selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and CO catalysts, and therefore, reduce total emissions of other criteria pollutants to a small fraction of these alternatives. The company further plans on using Siemens Energy to support many aspects of the project’s build-out, operations, and long-term maintenance, thus providing hyperscaler customers with the assurance of reliable, cost-effective, and efficient operations.
“Behind-the-meter power isn’t just a Fermi advantage—it’s the only solution for America’s AI dominance,” said Neugebauer. “Without it, we’re handing China the keys to AI. There will only be one winner.”
Turning our attention towards the second acquisition, it is concerned with three secondary market industrial gas turbines and a paired steam turbine. The stated piece of equipment holds three GE Frame 6B gas turbines and one GE steam turbine.
Fermi America will markedly oversee the refurbishment and life extension of these units by a GE-certified maintenance and repair organization.
At least for the initial phase, Fermi is going deploy the three refurbished gas turbines, totaling 135 MW at ISO conditions, in simple cycle mode, with the installation of new heat recovery steam generators slated to be conducted shortly afterwards. The intention here is to operate the assets in combined cycle mode to reach upon over 200 MW, under ISO conditions, and about 180 MW at site elevation, along with an efficient full load HHV heat rate in the low 8000 BTU per kWh range.
“The executed agreements will allow Fermi America to acquire highly reliable, energy-efficient, and environmentally advanced power generation systems to support the artificial intelligence campus,” said Larry Kellerman, Chief Power Procurement Officer, Fermi America. “The initial fleet represents ISO rated capability of over 600 MW of power generation equipment that is available for shipment and refurbishment, avoiding multi-year Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) lead times. This configuration allows for optimal, multi-shaft reliability for Fermi America’s hyperscaler end-use customers, with significantly lower output of all criteria emissions relative to either the marginal emissions rates of grid-supplied power across majority of the U.S.”
