Nevada Clears 510-MW Data Center Gas Plant as FAA Approves Gulf Drone

Energy infrastructure for artificial-intelligence data centers, long-range autonomous offshore aviation, and record holiday passenger volumes shaped three major transportation and utility developments this week.

In northern Nevada, Hoodline reported that the Public Utilities Commission approved data-center operator Switch's plan to build a 510-megawatt front-of-meter natural gas power plant running 9 gas turbines on 20 acres at the former Sierra Biofuels Refinery in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, with construction starting in Q1 2027 and wrapping in 2029. The facility is projected to use 10,000 to 20,000 gallons of water per day during construction and 145 acre-feet—about 47 million gallons—annually in operation, with potential emissions of up to 2 million metric tons of CO2 per year (equivalent to 453,000 passenger vehicles). NV Energy's 2026 integrated resource plan notes the utility has fielded 22,000 megawatts of data-center inquiries, signed 6 gigawatts of interconnection agreements (84%, or nearly 5 gigawatts, in northern Nevada), and proposed 4,370 megawatts of solar, 5,405 megawatts of battery storage, 180 megawatts of geothermal, and 1,223 megawatts of gas turbines as data centers grow from 5% of electricity sales today to 64% by 2046 and system demand doubles from 10 gigawatts to over 20 gigawatts by 2050. Switch's approval follows Nexus Fulcrum LLC's June filing for a 510-megawatt plant and Fleet Data Centers' September approval for 144-megawatt and 218-megawatt temporary gas plants totaling 362 megawatts, while fuel supply awaits Federal Energy Regulatory Commission sign-off on a November 2028 Great Basin pipeline expansion supporting 5,000 megawatts across 230 miles (or 195 miles of new 42-inch pipe with 142 miles retired).

In autonomous aviation, Hoodline reported that Austin-based Skyways, led by CEO Charles Acknin, won a first-of-its-kind Federal Aviation Administration Section 927 waiver—highlighted by FAA Acting Deputy Administrator Liam McKenna—to fly its hybrid electric-VTOL and heavy-fuel V2 uncrewed aircraft beyond visual line of sight from Shell Pipeline Company LP's facility in Gibson, Louisiana out to an offshore Gulf oil platform to inspect a pipeline right-of-way and demonstrate simulated equipment delivery. Skyways has logged 3,500 autonomous flights and 90,000 kilometers worldwide, holds a $37 million Air Force AFWERX STRATFI award to begin Skyreach production flights in December 2026, and builds on offshore momentum after Shell ran 44 drone-in-a-box flights from its Mars platform in April.

Meanwhile, for holiday travelers, ABC7 News reported that Airlines for America projects nearly 29 million people will fly over Thanksgiving break despite high fuel prices amid the war with Iran. Hopper data shows 2.2% more flights are scheduled than last year even as airfares hit a 10-year high, with domestic roundtrip fares up 39% from 2025 and international fares up 30%, while Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth airports each top 2 million scheduled seats between November 21 and December 1. Between November 19 and December 1, American Airlines expects more than 8 million customers on 85,000 flights—one takeoff every 13 seconds, peaking at 7,021 flights on Sunday, November 29—while United Airlines anticipates more than 500,000 daily customers on over 4,800 daily flights, reaching 540,000 on Friday, November 20 and 600,000 on November 29, as Amtrak adds Northeast Corridor capacity from November 20 to 30 and two extra roundtrip trains between Washington, D.C. and New York City on November 24-25 and November 28-29.