Most of the commitments are contingent on future reservations and orders. If every option is exercised, potential spending reaches about $17.2 billion. Venture Global ties the expansion to a goal of 10 GW of compute capacity by 2034, but makes that target conditional on customer commitments and market demand. No data center customer has signed yet. The first equipment order is expected by year-end, with first power targeted for late 2028 or early 2029. The Wall Street Journal broke the story, and the agreements and targets remain preliminary.
The story reflects a broader shift. Grid interconnection delays are pushing AI developers toward on-site generation, and industry data from Cleanview indicates developers of roughly one-third of data center capacity under development are considering their own power. Hart Energy estimates the expansion could consume up to 1.9 Bcf/d of gas, which makes it a material demand signal for gas producers. Attorneys tracking this deal should watch for the first equipment order by year-end, any customer contracts that convert the frame agreements into firm obligations, and any regulatory or permitting filings tied to the off-grid generation. Commentators have also noted that the same turbines could serve LNG liquefaction trains, so the allocation between data center and export uses bears watching.