Caterpillar signs JV on data centre power delivery

Caterpillar and Hunt Energy Co have announced a long-term agreement to deliver power for data centres, with the multi-year initiative aiming to deliver up to 1GW of generation capacity across North America and “laying the foundation for future global deployment.”

The agreement will combine Cat’s power technology - including natural gas and diesel generation, gas turbines, switchgear, controls and engineering design - with Hunt’s expertise in infrastructure development and financing for data centres and distributed energy resource projects.

Hunt will also offer its experience in battery energy storage (BESS) projects, having deployed over 310MW of BESS power in the last four years.

Cat said the two will deliver uninterrupted power to data centres with or without a connection to the power grid,

“Caterpillar is excited to continue to collaborate with Hunt Energy to deliver robust and efficient energy solutions for data centers,” said Melissa Busen, senior vice president, Caterpillar Electric Power division.

“Hunt’s proven expertise in energy infrastructure complements Caterpillar’s leadership in power systems, enabling us to jointly develop scalable solutions that meet the high demands of reliability, uptime and performance critical to data center operations.”

Hunter Hunt, chief executive officer at Hunt Energy, added; “This partnership with Caterpillar represents a major step forward in our commitment to delivering innovative and flexible energy solutions. Starting in Texas, we’re laying the foundation for a new era of data center power infrastructure.”

Founded in 1934, Hunt is a family-owned company with mopre than 90 years’ history in energy and real estate development. Operating in four continents, it has built and managed upstream oil and gas facilities, pipelines, refineries, LNG terminals, high-voltage transmission systems, and other assets.

Through its sister business, Hunt Energy Network, it operates 310MW of distributed energy assets in Texas, with plans to expand beyond 1GW. It also owns Hunt Realty Investments, which has developed projects in Texas including the Hyatt Regency Dallas Hotel, the Reunion Tower and the Fields development in Frisco, Texas.