Nameplate isn’t deliverability.
An announced megawatt isn’t the same as dependable power at a usable site.
Published October 5, 2026 · Selected evidence and editorial interpretation
A megawatt describes power. A megawatt-hour describes energy delivered over time. Neither number, by itself, establishes dependable electricity at a particular data center. Confusing those quantities can turn an infrastructure announcement into a capacity claim it never actually made.
The arithmetic behind the headline
The EIA distinguishes a generator’s maximum output under specified conditions from the electricity it produces over a period. Capacity factor compares actual generation with the maximum possible output during that period. [1]
Consider a hypothetical 100 MW plant operating at a 40% annual capacity factor. Its annual generation would be 100 × 8,760 × 0.40 = 350,400 MWh, equivalent to 40 MW averaged over the year. That average does not mean the plant can supply a continuous 40 MW in every hour. The timing of production still matters.
A real example: Armstrong County
On September 28, 2026, Crusoe said Google’s Armstrong County campus was under construction. Its announcement identified an adjacent operating wind farm, Goodnight 1, at 265.5 MW, and a second 265.5 MW wind farm, Goodnight 2, still under construction. [2]
Together, those figures describe 531 MW of generation nameplate across two different project states. They do not establish a 531 MW operating data center, a dependable 531 MW supply, or the campus’s usable computing load. The 40% assumption above is purely illustrative and is not an estimate for either wind farm.
Why the economic interpretation changes
A facility can benefit from abundant annual energy while still needing a different solution for the hours when that energy is unavailable. Location, delivery timing, and the intended operating requirement can therefore matter as much as the headline size.
Our interpretation is that the valuable industrial capability may sit in making power usable for the customer, rather than simply adding generation. That could involve a different business from the one receiving attention in the announcement.
What this example does and doesn’t establish
The announcement supports an energy-oriented development strategy. It does not establish completed campus operations or tell us which participant will capture the best economics. The public lesson is modest but useful: nameplate power, annual energy, and usable facility capacity answer different questions.