Natural gas power plant construction costs have risen 66% in two years—from under $1,500/kW in 2023 to $2,157/kW in 2025—and gas turbine prices have jumped 195% since 2019 with delivery waitlists extending into the early 2030s, according to a TechCrunch analysis. AI data centers are the primary driver, with total US data center electricity demand projected to nearly triple from 40 to 106 gigawatts by 2035. The supply crunch is pushing some companies toward alternatives including long-duration iron-air batteries and, as Meta's new Overview Energy deal illustrates, space-based solar.