# Gas-Powered Data Center Calculator

Online calculator for an on-site gas energy center (gas engine generators and turbines) serving data centers: number of units, investment, time to launch, electricity cost and payback based on site conditions (region, temperature, winter road, site readiness, housing, gas type). Estimates are indicative, ±30%, amounts excluding VAT.

## Input parameters
- Rotational (fly-in fly-out) work (with rotation the staff arrive for each shift from other regions)
- Rotation length, days (under the Labor Code a rotation is up to 1 month, in exceptional cases up to 3 months)
- Rest between rotations, days (the ratio of work to rest determines headcount and the number of flights)
- Regional coefficient and northern allowances (apply in the Far North and equivalent areas; for example, they do not apply in Saratov)
- Regional coefficient (a multiplier to pay from the first working day; from 1.15 to 2.0 in northern areas)
- Percentage allowance for work in the North, % (grows with length of service up to the maximum for the area (usually 30–80%); enter the team average)
- Rotation allowance, RUB per rotation day (a mandatory payment whose size is set by the employer; 0 — not included)
- Social contributions on payroll, % (standard rate is 30%; it may be lower under preferential regimes)
- Meals, RUB per person per day (market participants quote about RUB 2000 — to be verified against the catering contract)
- Camp upkeep, RUB per bed per day (heating, electricity, cleaning, maintenance; 0 — not included)
- Flight from Moscow, RUB round trip per person (for each rotation; a benchmark, updated automatically)
- Transfer from the airport to the site, RUB per rotation (per person: all-terrain vehicle, shuttle bus, helicopter; 0 — not included)
- Occupational safety, % of costs (at least 0.2% of production costs under the Labor Code (Art. 225))
- Occupational safety per employee, RUB per year (training, protective equipment, medical checks; used if higher than the percentage of costs)
- Salary: gas unit operator or technician, RUB per month (before the regional coefficient and allowances, before income tax; a benchmark from job postings)
- Salary: electrician, RUB per month (a benchmark from job postings)
- Salary: power engineer or shift supervisor, RUB per month (a benchmark from job postings)
- Salary: other positions, RUB per month (security, data center engineers, management: no data found in job postings — enter your own value)
- Staff growth above 20 MW (people per each 10 MW; reference values are used up to 20 MW; the value is indicative)
- Equipment discount for large orders, % (applied at installed capacity of 20 MW and above; 0 by default — no confirmed data)
- Assumption scenario (a ready-made set of parameters, from optimistic to conservative)
- Construction region (fills in typical climate, transport and gas prices)
- Consumer capacity, MW (IT equipment capacity of the data center or useful power (1 MW = 1000 kW))
- Consumer type
- Gas source (determines price, gas treatment and schedule)
- Gas pipeline length to the site, km (supply pipe from the gas source)
- Transport access (determines the cost and time of equipment delivery)
- Winter-road season, months (how many months per year the winter road is usable (0 — not usable))
- Energy center operating mode
- Staff housing
- Ground at the site
- Site readiness
- Average annual temperature, °C (affects heating and operation)
- Design winter temperature, °C (the coldest five-day period; affects insulation cost)
- Equipment type
- Project start date (month of contract signing)
- Financing scheme
- Installment down payment, %
- Installment term, months
- Installment rate, % per year
- Energy service tariff, RUB per kWh (excluding VAT; the energy center is owned by the contractor)
- Display currency
- Show amounts including 22% VAT
- PUE — power usage effectiveness of the data center (total consumption divided by IT equipment consumption; the closer to 1, the better (1.1 is excellent, 1.5 is average))
- Average load, % (actual consumption as a share of contracted capacity)
- Capacity of one unit
- Available unit output, % (of nameplate; decreases in heat and at high altitude)
- Capacity margin for sudden load changes, % (units are loaded to no more than (100% − margin), e.g. with a 20% margin no more than 80% of capacity; manufacturers recommend 10–20%)
- Availability factor, % (share of the year when the energy center is operating)
- Remote management and accounting, RUB million per year (manager, power engineer and accountant working off-site)
- Adjustment factor for construction cost (applied to site, electrical, gas treatment, pipeline and camp (1 is the typical level))
- Electrical efficiency, % (share of gas energy converted into electricity; 0 — by equipment type)
- Generation maintenance, RUB per kWh (excluding VAT, including materials and spare parts; 0 — by equipment type)
- Gas price, RUB per 1000 m³ (excluding VAT)
- Gas heating value, kcal/m³ (energy released when 1 m³ of gas is burned)
- Available gas volume, million m³ per year (0 — unlimited)
- Colocation price, RUB per kW per month (colocation means hosting customers' equipment in your data center for a fee per unit of capacity; excluding VAT)
- Electricity sale price (offtake), RUB per kWh incl. VAT (the price at which the buyer (for example, a mining hosting provider) pays for electricity; market benchmark is about RUB 5 incl. VAT)
- Target data center occupancy, % (share of capacity leased to customers)
- Time to reach target occupancy, years
- Yuan rate, RUB per 1 ¥
- Dollar rate, RUB per 1 $
- Discount rate, % (required return used to convert future income into today's money)
- Calculation horizon, years
- Income tax, % (in preferential regions the rate may be 5–10%)
- Generating equipment (RUB million per 1 MW of installed capacity; 0 — by type)
- Delivery to the site (RUB million per 1 MW of installed capacity; 0 — automatic)
- Construction: fill, foundations, roads (RUB million per 1 MW of installed capacity; 0 — automatic)
- Electrical equipment, gas piping, automation (RUB million per 1 MW of installed capacity; 0 — automatic)
- Gas treatment and gas distribution station (a gas distribution station reduces gas pressure and meters volume; RUB million per 1 MW; 0 — automatic)
- Gas pipeline (RUB million per 1 km; 0 — automatic)
- Data center: building or modules, utilities (RUB million per 1 MW of IT load; 0 — automatic)
- Shift camp (RUB million per bed; 0 — automatic)
- Design and surveys (% of investment; 0 — automatic)
- Contingency (% of investment; 0 — automatic)

URL: https://khadiev.ru/en/#mw=10&access=road&housing=exists&variant=rec

## Typical estimates (from the calculator model)
Containerized data center, associated gas, stand-alone mode, minimal option without a spare unit. Each cell shows a range: from the optimistic scenario (equipment in stock, site ready, all-year road, housing available) to the base one (equipment supplied from the factory, site designed and built, delivery by winter road, shift camp required). Amounts are excluding VAT in the page currency, accuracy ±30%.

| Consumer capacity | Number of units | All-year road: investment / launch, months | Winter road only (temporary seasonal road): investment / launch, months | Water route in the navigation season and winter road: investment / launch, months | Cost of electricity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 MW | 2–2 × 1 MW | $1.0M–2.1M / 5–13 | $1.0M–2.2M / 5–16 | $1.0M–2.3M / 10–14 | $0.027/kWh–0.055/kWh |
| 2 MW | 3–3 × 1 MW | $1.4M–2.8M / 5–13 | $1.4M–2.9M / 5–16 | $1.4M–3.0M / 10–14 | $0.022/kWh–0.041/kWh |
| 5 MW | 7–7 × 1 MW | $2.8M–5.3M / 5–13 | $2.8M–5.6M / 5–16 | $2.8M–5.7M / 10–14 | $0.021/kWh–0.036/kWh |
| 10 MW | 13–7 × 2 MW | $5.1M–9.8M / 5–15 | $5.1M–10M / 5–17 | $5.1M–11M / 11–16 | $0.020/kWh–0.034/kWh |
| 20 MW | 26–7 × 4 MW | $9.9M–19M / 6–16 | $9.9M–20M / 6–17 | $9.9M–20M / 11–17 | $0.020/kWh–0.034/kWh |
| 50 MW | 63–18 × 4 MW | $24M–46M / 8–24 | $24M–49M / 8–25 | $24M–50M / 13–25 | $0.020/kWh–0.034/kWh |

JSON: https://khadiev.ru/data/estimates.json

## How the calculation works
- Peak load equals the IT equipment capacity multiplied by PUE (the data center energy efficiency ratio) and by 1.04 (the energy center's own consumption). In stand-alone mode a margin for sudden load changes is added.
- The number of units is the peak load divided by the capacity of one unit, taking availability into account; a reserve is then added: none (N), one unit (N+1) or full duplication (2N).
- Investment (CAPEX) includes equipment, delivery (depends on region and transport access), site (depends on ground, temperature and readiness), electrical and gas piping, gas treatment, pipeline, data center, staff housing, design and a contingency of 10–15%.
- The project schedule consists of design and permits, equipment manufacturing, waiting for the delivery period (winter road or navigation), installation and commissioning.
- The economics takes into account the cost of gas (based on efficiency and the price of the selected gas type), maintenance, staff, and revenue from colocation or electricity sales. NPV, IRR and payback are calculated from a monthly cash flow, and the cost is compared with the electricity sale price.

## Terms and abbreviations
- **Data center** — a building or modules housing servers and engineering systems.
- **Gas generation** — generation of electricity at an on-site energy center running on gas.
- **Gas engine generator** — an internal combustion engine running on gas and coupled to an electric generator.
- **Gas turbine** — a gas turbine coupled to an electric generator.
- **APG** — associated petroleum gas: gas released from oil during its production.
- **Gas distribution station** — a facility where gas pressure is reduced and gas volume is metered.
- **Efficiency** — the share of the gas energy that becomes electricity.
- **MW and kWh** — units of power and energy. 1 MW = 1000 kW; 1 kWh is the energy delivered by 1 kW of power over one hour.
- **PUE** — power usage effectiveness of a data center: total consumption divided by IT equipment consumption. The closer to 1, the better.
- **N, N+1, 2N** — redundancy levels. N is as many units as the load needs; N+1 adds one spare unit; 2N is full duplication.
- **Stand-alone mode** — operation without a connection to the external grid and without energy storage.
- **CAPEX** — capital expenditure: investment in construction and equipment.
- **OPEX** — operating expenditure: gas, maintenance, staff.
- **EBITDA** — operating profit before taxes, interest and depreciation.
- **NPV** — net present value: the total profit of the project taking into account that future money is worth less than money today. A positive value means the project beats the required return.
- **IRR** — internal rate of return: the average annual return of the project. The higher, the better.
- **Payback period** — the time in which the accumulated profit covers the investment.
- **Discount rate** — the required return used to convert future income into today's money.
- **Offtake** — a long-term agreement under which the buyer undertakes to purchase the electricity produced (an agreed volume) at an agreed price.
- **Colocation** — hosting customers' equipment in your data center for a fee per unit of provided capacity.
- **Winter road** — a temporary road over frozen ground and ice that is usable only in winter.
- **Navigation season** — the period when shipping is possible on rivers and seas.
- **Shift camp** — a temporary settlement for employees working on a rotational (fly-in fly-out) basis.
- **Service (maintenance)** — scheduled work such as changing oil and filters and adjusting and checking components.
- **Engine hour** — one hour of engine operation; maintenance and overhauls are scheduled by engine hours.
- **Major overhaul** — a major engine repair that replaces the worn main components, for example the cylinder-piston group.

## Frequently asked questions
**What is gas generation for a data center?**
It is a data center's own energy center running on natural or associated petroleum gas: gas engine generators or gas turbines. The solution is used where grid capacity is unavailable or a connection takes years, while gas is nearby.

**How much does it cost to build a data center with gas generation?**
Model benchmark for a containerized data center in northern conditions, without a spare unit: $2.1M for 1 MW (all-year road) and $46M for 50 MW. For 5 MW: from $5.3M with an all-year road to $5.7M with delivery by water. Accuracy ±30%.

**How much gas is needed per 1 MW of electrical output?**
At an electrical efficiency of 35–42% and a gas heating value of 8,000–9,000 kcal/m³, consumption is about 250–300 m³ per hour per MW, or 2.2–2.6 million m³ per year at continuous operation.

**How many units are needed for a given capacity?**
The number of units is calculated from the peak load (IT equipment capacity multiplied by PUE and by 1.04 for own consumption). In stand-alone mode without storage a 10–20% margin for sudden load changes is added, followed by a failure reserve: none (N), one unit (N+1) or duplication (2N).

**How long does it take to build the energy center and data center?**
According to the model, 3 to 35 months from contract signing. For 5 MW: 13 months with an all-year road and 16 months with delivery by winter road only.

**What affects the timeline and cost most?**
The region and transport access (winter roads and navigation set the delivery periods), site readiness (whether design is needed), the need for a shift camp, temperature and ground, the gas type and the redundancy level.

**How do gas engine generators differ from gas turbines?**
Gas engine generators have 35–45% efficiency, are modular and perform well at part load, but need regular servicing. Gas turbines have 30–38% efficiency and are compact, but lose output in heat and at part load; they are justified from a few to tens of megawatts.

**How much oil is needed and how often is servicing required?**
Oil top-up consumption of gas engines is about 0.2–0.4 g per kWh, which is roughly 2–3 tonnes per year per MW at continuous operation; in addition, the oil is fully replaced during scheduled maintenance. Routine service is performed about every 1,000 engine hours (roughly every 6 weeks of continuous operation), intermediate service every 10,000 hours and extended service every 20,000 hours.

**After how many hours is a major overhaul needed and what is the service life?**
A major overhaul is usually required after about 40,000 engine hours (around 5 years of continuous operation); most often the short block is replaced. With timely maintenance the design service life of gas units is about 25 years. On associated gas the intervals are about 20% shorter.

## Gas-Powered Data Center Calculator
The calculation is an indicative estimate (pre-feasibility accuracy, ±30%) and does not replace a feasibility study. Not included: inflation and price growth, property tax, carbon payments, gas volume limits, land cost and customers' IT equipment. Regional values (temperature, gas price, winter-road season) are typical and must be verified for a specific site.

Contact: Telegram @bitkhadi (https://t.me/bitkhadi)