A generation queue is not a data-centre queue

What is being counted

Queued Up: 2026 Edition concerns power plants seeking transmission interconnection, using queue data through the end of 2025. Berkeley Lab says its coverage represents approximately 98% of installed U.S. generating capacity. This is a generation-side record. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ↗

The inference to avoid

A count of proposed generators cannot directly measure the number of data centres waiting for load service. The two processes can interact, but they have different applicants, technical questions and denominators. Combining them requires a documented link; similar terminology is not enough.

Before using a queue statistic in a capacity claim, record what enters the dataset, what can exit it, which stage counts as completion and whether one project can appear more than once. Without those definitions, a very precise total can support a very imprecise conclusion.