The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released a new report that suggests that retired military aircraft jet engines could be repurposed to power data centers.

The report contended that aircraft stored at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona could be utilized as an alternative power option for the data center sector. According to the EIA, the approximately 4,000 aircraft stored at the Boneyard could collectively represent as much as 40GW of capacity. The estimate reflects theoretical maximum output and does not account for feasibility, cost, or operational constraints.

The report cites several challenges to deployment, including the uncertain condition of engines that have been in storage for more than a decade on average, military mission requirements, and the logistical and regulatory hurdles involved in removing, refurbishing, and converting engines for power generation.

The EIA report identified the turbofan engines as the largest source of potential capacity, representing up to 32GW. The engines bear a close resemblance to commercial aeroderivative combustion turbines, which are used widely across utility-scale and on-site power generation.

For instance, GE Vernova’s 51MW LM6000 power turbine is derived from the GE Aerospace CF6 turbofan engine, and aftermarket refurbishment of CF6 engines is commercially available.

The EIA suggests that if repurposed, the engines could serve as a temporary or supplemental power source in regions facing grid constraints or long interconnection timelines. Several companies have come out of the woodwork over recent months, offering repurposed jet engines to power the data center sector.

Last October, power generation firm ProEnergy revealed that two data center operators in the US market had deployed its repurposed gas turbines to power facilities during construction and in the first few years of operation. The turbines are retrofitted CF6-80C2 jet engine cores, which have been repurposed for commercial use. According to the company, the engines can supply 48MW of capacity per unit.

Following this, in December, it was reported that data center developer Crusoe signed a deal with Boom Supersonic for 1.21GW of its Superpower turbines, a 42MW natural gas turbine supplied in a shipping container-scale unit. The company claims that its turbine technology is based on the same technology as a jet engine and has been designed to deliver sustained, efficient high power output, even under challenging thermal conditions.