Old, Polluting Jet Engines Scavenged to Power Data Centers
Across the sun-baked boneyards of the American Southwest, energy and technology companies are salvaging retired aircraft engines to feed the soaring electricity demand of artificial intelligence data centers. Faced with multiyear wait-lists for standard electrical grid connections and traditional turbines, data center developers are turning to mothballed jet engines converted into natural gas-burning generators for rapid power solutions.
The trend has turned facilities like Arizona's Pinal Airpark into hubs of activity as companies strip engines from commercial and military aircraft. According to federal estimates, the thousands of aircraft parked at a single Tucson base could theoretically yield tens of thousands of megawatts of power. Firms such as Missouri-based ProEnergy are retrofitting these engines by removing their outer fan casings, modifying combustion chambers, and attaching electrical generators to produce up to 50 megawatts per unit—enough to power thousands of homes.
Major tech operations are already utilizing the hardware. Elon Musk’s xAI has installed converted jet turbines at a Mississippi data center to power its operations, with state permits allowing emissions of carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds at higher rates than standard turbines. The deployment has drawn pushback from environmental advocates and legal groups, who argue that reusing older, less efficient jet engines increases air pollution in surrounding communities and runs counter to cleaner energy goals.
Despite environmental challenges and legal disputes involving the Trump administration—which has encouraged data centers to generate their own power to bypass grid constraints and support national A.I. objectives—industry demand for aircraft engine cores remains strong as tech companies prioritize speed over efficiency.
