Datacentre developments |
Campus cooling: Fermi America partners with MVM EGI
Visualisation of the Project Matador campus. (Fermi America)
Fermi America, in partnership with the Texas Tech University System, reports that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hungary based MVM EGI, specialist in hybrid dry–wet cooling for power plants, to engineer and develop what it describes as a “next-generation” cooling system for Fermi’s planned 11 GW private energy grid campus – Project Matador – in the USA. Under the non- binding MOU, Fermi America and MVM EGI will partner on preliminary engineering, and feasibility studies for a series of indirect hybrid cooling towers that will support both Project Matador’s anticipated 6 GW of combined- cycle natural gas generation and four AP1000 nuclear units.
Leveraging an existing, proven hybrid cooling design, the partnership will adapt and optimise the system for West Texas conditions. Together, the companies will define cooling requirements, evaluate tower configurations, assess site and height constraints, and model the water-saving
performance that hybrid cooling can deliver at scale. This early engineering work lays the foundation for the campus’s long-term cooling strategy, says Fermi America. The MOU outlines a sequence of milestones — including requirements definition, concept validation, and feasibility assessment — that will lead to a detailed design. Construction of the first cooling tower was scheduled to begin in January 2026, according to Fermi, with the full cooling system completed by 2034 to match the phased build-out of the gas and nuclear units.
These hybrid towers are expected to represent a major advancement in responsible energy development. By relying primarily on air cooling and circulating water through closed- loop systems, the design significantly reduces evaporative loss, conserving scarce water resources. The scope of collaboration also includes evaluation of recycled and reclaimed water, as well as underground reservoirs and solar-covered retention ponds — technologies that further limit evaporation and protect the Ogallala Aquifer.
“Fermi isn’t some out-of-town operation parachuting in. Our leadership is from West Texas — we grew up on this dirt, and we care about the land and its resources,” said Fermi America Co-Founder and CEO Toby Neugebauer. “As promised, we’re working with global innovators like MVM to ensure Project Matador complements the long-term water needs of the region, building something big, but doing it the right way.” “MVM EGI has been on the cutting-edge of power plant cooling for more than half
MVM EGI hybrid cooling installation. (MVM EGI)
a century maintaining the heritage of our founders, Professor László Heller and Professor László Forgó, whom the high- capacity water-saving dry cooling systems are named after worldwide,” added MVM EGI CEO Péter Kárpáti.
Co-founded by former US Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and Co-founder and former Co-Managing Partner of Quantum Energy, Toby Neugebauer, Fermi America says it is combining “cutting-edge technology with a deep bench of proven world-class multi- disciplinary leaders to create the world’s largest, 11 GW, next-gen private grid.” It cannot be accused of lacking ambition. The behind-the-meter Project Matador campus aims to integrate the USA’s biggest combined cycle natural gas project with one of the largest new nuclear power complexes in America (four Westinghouse AP1000 PWRs), alongside utility grid power, solar power, and battery energy storage, to “deliver hyperscaler artificial intelligence.”
Babcock & Wilcox selects Siemens Energy steam turbine generators for Applied Digital project
Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) has selected Siemens Energy to provide steam turbine generator sets for B&W’s project to deliver 1 GW of generating capacity for an Applied Digital AI factory.
The scope includes design and installation of four 300 MW natural-gas-fired power plants consisting of B&W boilers and associated Siemens Energy steam turbines, and anticipates signing of an ongoing parts and services contract to support the facility once commercial operation begins. To meet the project’s demanding schedule – delivery of reliable power by the end of 2028 – the plants use a proven configuration:
gas-fired boilers supply steam to turbines, generating power in a dispatchable and reliable manner.
“Our selection of Siemens Energy [steam turbines] is a key step in delivering efficient, reliable power for our customer, Applied Digital, and the rapidly growing AI Data Center market,” said Brandy Johnson, B&W Chief Technology Officer. “We can deliver data centre solutions significantly faster than would be achieved with simple-cycle or combined-cycle [gas turbine based] power plants.” “By pairing our steam turbine systems with B&W’s established boiler technology, we can deliver a straightforward, cohesive setup
26 | January/February 2026 |
www.modernpowersystems.com
for large scale power,” said Tobias Panse, Senior Vice President, Steam Turbine and Generators, Siemens Energy, “a configuration well-suited to the continuous demand profile of modern AI facilities.”
“Teaming with Babcock & Wilcox and Siemens Energy – both global market leaders with many decades of experience – ensures we have the proven technologies and trusted expertise needed to meet our aggressive timelines,” said Wes Cummins, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Applied Digital. “This agreement gives us confidence that we can deliver the capacity needed to support the next generation of AI infrastructure.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45
