MGK 2026: VoltaGrid Plans 7.2 GW Generation Build-Out to Handle AI's Massive, Transient Power Demands

With a pipeline of roughly 7.2 GW expected to come online between 2027 and 2029, VoltaGrid will likely build more power than any other utility in North America over the next three years, according to Dave Bell, the company's vice president of microgrid development.

Bell made the statement during an interview with Microgrid Knowledge managing editor Rod Walton at the recent Microgrid Knowledge 2026 Conference in Orlando, Florida.

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VoltaGrid, which started out helping oil and gas producers cut greenhouse gas emissions through electrification at the well, has pivoted into supporting AI growth by providing power to large, energy-hungry data center loads. 

“The big thing for us is to help the United States win the AI race and making sure that AI stays American,” Bell said.

Powering AI’s volatile appetite

VoltaGrid is partnering with companies like ABB and INNIO Jenbacher to deliver roughly 1.8 GW of power a year to support AI’s huge, transient workloads.

Historically, data centers, and the cloud services they supported, were very static loads, Bell explained. “What we're seeing right now with artificial intelligence is that the GPU portion of it, or the compute load, will actually have a transient load of 60 to 70%. It’s a huge variance in load.”

Because of that, VoltaGrid had to co‑design solutions with key partners – from the GPU manufacturers to hyperscalers and other vendors – to make sure their power systems can handle those big, rapid swings.

“One of our claims to fame is being able to ride through those significant transients over long periods of time,” Bell said. “That's very unique to this AI challenge and data center challenge.”

There’s no silver bullet — diversity of resources is the name of the game

Bell said that meeting AI’s fast-growing power needs will rely heavily on behind-the-meter and microgrid solutions, because they can be deployed much faster than new transmission lines.

In the near term, firm natural gas will be the primary fuel, with renewables, expanded transmission and eventually small modular reactors and larger nuclear all playing supporting roles, according to Bell. Meeting demand will require a diversified approach.

“I don't think there's a silver bullet,” he said. “I think it's just a multitude of different solutions solving the same problem.”