ExxonMobil and Chevron are building gas-fired power plants directly for data centers to circumvent grid constraints, with both companies positioning natural gas paired with carbon capture and storage as a faster alternative to nuclear development. Baker Hughes reported a 21 percent year-over-year net income increase in Q2 2025, outperforming competitors in this emerging sector. EQT Corporation forecasts an additional 10 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas demand by 2030 specifically for data center power. A July 2025 executive order on federal permitting for data center infrastructure has accelerated the industry's shift toward on-site fossil fuel generation.
The traditional oilfield services market has contracted under pressure from crude prices hovering near $60 per barrel and a decade of efficiency gains that reduced rig counts. Goldman Sachs projects data center power consumption will rise 165 percent between 2023 and 2030, requiring $6.7 trillion in investment to meet global compute needs. With data center occupancy rates expected to reach 97 percent and global capacity to triple by 2030, oilfield services companies are repositioning themselves as infrastructure providers in what may be the largest capital deployment cycle in modern history.
Attorneys should monitor this sector realignment closely. The convergence of energy infrastructure, data centers, and traditional oil and gas expertise creates novel regulatory exposure around permitting, environmental compliance, and grid interconnection. Companies entering this space face unfamiliar regulatory frameworks and potential litigation over siting, emissions, and power purchase agreements—areas where energy law and technology infrastructure law intersect in largely untested territory.