Diversified Energy Co., FuelCell Energy Inc. and TESIAC have partnered to supply up to 360 megawatts of electricity to three data centers in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky, the companies announced March 10.
The partnership will create an acquisition and development company (ADC) focused on delivering reliable, cost efficient, net-zero power from natural gas and captured coal mine methane (CMM).
The ADC is expected to leverage Appalachian Basin natural gas production, advanced energy generation via fuel cell technology and infrastructure financing to meet expanding data center power capacity requirements, the collaboration said.
Under the agreement, Diversified will provide natural gas and captured methane from coal mines in the basin as base fuel to be delivered via pipeline to fuel cells. The gas and CMM would generate power through the electrochemical conversion of methane to hydrogen and then to electricity, the companies said.
FuelCell will deploy its fuel cell platforms to generate efficient power, emissions management and thermal energy solutions including cooling for data centers.
TESIAC said it will secure “highly competitive” financing options to accelerate deployment, ensuring the project is profitable and can grow over time.
"The market demand for the type of reliable, quickly dispatchable power that only natural gas can deliver is incredibly strong, and we're excited about the potential of this partnership to deploy Diversified Energy-produced natural gas and coal mine methane (CMM) and pair it with Fuel Cell's advanced industrial-scale technology to create an efficient, cost-effective, environmentally sound solution for the next generation power needs of data centers,” said Brad Gray, president and CFO of Diversified Energy.