30 MW is a popular target for AI companies building their first owned site. It is large enough to need a customer substation and a utility study, and small enough that many utilities can still serve it without major transmission upgrades. That makes the right 30 MW site findable in months, if you search from substation headroom first. Invariant has a rezoned 30 MW greenfield in Kentucky and several expandable sites that cover the range.
Before you start
- A 30 MW facility at a PUE of 1.3 carries about 23 MW of IT, roughly 190 AI racks at 120 kW, about 13,800 GPUs.
- If someone says 30 MW, ask whether they mean IT load or facility load. The difference at 30 MW is 7 to 12 MW.
- Plan for a 69 to 138 kV customer substation and 10 to 45 acres all in.
- Study fees and site-control rules apply in many territories at 25 MW and above.
What 30 MW actually fits
Utilities sell facility load. Tenants buy IT load. At a PUE of 1.3, a 30 MW site leaves about 23 MW for IT. At about 120 kW per NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 rack, that is roughly 190 racks, or about 13,850 GPUs. Air-cooled designs at 30 to 50 kW per rack fit more racks and fewer GPUs per MW. Typical buyers at this size are an AI training or inference cluster, a neocloud expansion, an enterprise campus or a mining build.eeNews EuropeUptime Institute
| 30 MW site | What to expect |
|---|---|
| IT load at PUE 1.3 | About 23 MW |
| AI racks at 120 kW | About 190 |
| Utility service | Customer substation at 69 to 138 kV, occasionally 230 kV. |
| Land | About 10 to 45 gross acres. |
| Time to power | Now for energized sites; 18 to 36 months for new service where a substation and line tap are needed. |
| Documents to ask for | A load study for the full 30 MW with a ramp schedule, a facilities cost estimate and the large-load tariff terms (minimum bill, contract term). |
These ranges are Invariant’s working figures from sites we have screened. They are not published standards, and individual utilities and designs land outside them.
IT MW versus facility MW at 30 MW
Uptime Institute put the average PUE in its survey at 1.58 for 2023, and 1.47 weighted by IT capacity, with new hyperscale builds designed at 1.4 or below. A buyer who needs 30 MW of IT at a PUE of 1.3 needs 39 MW at the meter. A site marketed as 30 MW may deliver 23 MW of IT. Settle which number you mean before you compare listings.Uptime Institute
Large-load tariffs start to bite
Many utilities now apply special terms to data centers above about 25 MW. AEP Ohio’s data center tariff and study process are a public example. The Berkeley Lab and Brattle review of large-load tariffs found minimum bills near 80 to 85% of contract demand and terms of 12 to 15 years are common. Model those terms in the deal; they can matter more than the energy rate.AEP OhioLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and The Brattle Group
30 MW data center sites available now
These sites from Invariant’s current inventory fit a 30 MW requirement, either at that size today or with a phase that covers it. Specs are as marketed by the owner and are checked against utility documents before any introduction.
| Region | Power | Land | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 30 MW greenfield | ~16 acres, rezoned | Now |
| Texas metro | 44 MW, +250 MW | ~50 acres, 1M sq ft | Now |
| North Carolina | 18 MW live, path past 100 MW | ~200 acres | Now |
| Iowa | 20 MW to 500 MW+ PPA site | Non-zoned | Phased |
| US | 20 earlier listings, 0.25 to 30 MW | Various | Status on a call |
Exact locations, the utility documents behind each MW figure and pricing are shared on a call. We also hold sites that are not listed publicly; owners ask for discretion and a site that is shopped everywhere loses value.
How Invariant finds 30 MW sites
We search from power evidence first and land second. For a 30 MW request we start with stations and services that can carry the load, kill anything already claimed, operating for someone else, contaminated or under a moratorium, and only then look at parcels. Each surviving site is graded A (documented power), B (a named power path with a date) or C (land near capacity), with the one document that would move it up a tier.
Tell us the MW, the states you would consider and the date you need power. We send the 30 MW sites that fit, including ones that are not on this page.
Browse data center sites by size and state
Questions that come up.
How many acres does a 30 MW data center need?
Roughly 10 to 45 gross acres, depending on cooling, stories, generator yards and substation layout. A 138 kV substation alone needs about 3 acres before stormwater detention.
Is 30 MW the IT load or the total load?
It depends on who is quoting. Utilities sell facility load. Tenants usually ask for IT load. At a PUE of 1.3, 30 MW of IT needs 39 MW at the meter.
Where can I find a 30 MW data center site?
Invariant lists a 30 MW rezoned greenfield in Kentucky, a 44 MW Texas metro property with expansion, an 18 MW North Carolina campus with a path past 100 MW and an Iowa site from 20 MW. More are available off-market on a call.
How does Invariant help find a 30 MW data center site?
Invariant keeps a live inventory of US powered sites, screens each one against utility documents, and matches buyers to sites by MW, state and energization date. Book a call or call (628) 220-8972 with your 30 MW requirement and we send matching sites, including off-market ones.
Sources and references.
Site specifications are as marketed by the seller and are checked against utility documents before any introduction. Public sources checked on . The location, equipment, and operating plan determine which requirements apply to a project.
- AEP OhioData center tariff ↗
- ComEd via PJMComEd guidelines on land requirements for interconnection substations ↗
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and The Brattle GroupElectricity rate designs for large loads (August 2026) ↗
- eeNews EuropeNvidia offers 120 kW liquid-cooled Blackwell rack as industry standard ↗
- Uptime InstituteLarge data centers are mostly more efficient, analysis confirms ↗