SLC’s Wheeler Machinery to install Caterpillar power plant at Millard Co. data center

Electricity for Joule Capital Partner’s High Performance Compute Data Center Campus in Millard County will be supplied from a generating plant powered by a fleet of Caterpillar G3520K generator sets (inset) supplied, installed and maintained by Salt Lake City-based Wheeler Machinery Co. (Photos courtesy Joule Capital Partners and Caterpillar Inc.)

Joule Capital Partners, Caterpillar Inc. and Salt Lake City-based Wheeler Machinery Co. have announced a partnership agreement to power Joule’s High Performance Compute Data Center Campus in Millard County. 

Irving, Texas-based Joule, a power infrastructure company, earlier announced plans to create the largest single data center campus in Utah. Wheeler will spearhead installation of the power plant using Caterpillar generators.

The Millard County Commission recently approved a rezoning request from Joule for approximately 4,000 acres northwest of Holden in Millard County for the project. The property — now rezoned from agricultural use to heavy industrial use — was owned by Triple C Farms. Joule is now seeking a conditional use permit from the county so construction can begin.

Mark McDougal, a partner of Joule Capital Partners and part-owner of Triple C Farms, said that the project will begin construction as soon as the permitting process is complete and be ready to house tenants as early as 2026.

The power plant installation will provide 4 gigawatts of total energy to the center. The project will deliver prime power and integrated combined cooling heat and power (CCHP) solutions with a by-design liquid cooling architecture. The plant will be powered by a “fleet” of Caterpillar’s G3520K generator sets and support equipment. The generation system produces electricity and captures waste heat to power and cool high-density server systems.

The power facility will also include 1.1 gigawatt-hours of grid-forming battery energy storage, along with backup power generation served by diverse
fuel sources.

Beyond the gensets, the system will include the controls, switchgear and power inverters. Caterpillar and Wheeler will also provide service and support for the plant.

“This project represents the core of Joule’s mission: to deliver artificial intelligence-ready compute capacity by pairing world-class data center campuses with reliable, on-demand power,” said David Gray, president of Joule Capital Partners. “By combining Caterpillar’s advanced energy systems with Wheeler’s local expertise, we can bring gigawatt-scale capacity to market faster and more efficiently than ever before, ensuring our tenants have the power and reliability they need to thrive in the next generation of high-
performance computing.”

“Caterpillar is uniquely positioned to tackle the growing energy needs for artificial intelligence and the evolving needs of modern infrastructure. This project is a perfect example of how we can deliver fast, reliable power generation to our customers through integrated energy solutions,” said Melissa Busen, senior vice president of Caterpillar’s Electric Power Division. “We are proud to work with Joule and Wheeler to help bring this project to life.”

“This strategic alliance between Joule, Caterpillar and Wheeler brings together world-class engineering, local expertise and visionary energy design,” said Bryan Campbell, CEO of Wheeler Machinery Co., “We’re proud to help deliver a resilient solution ready to meet future compute demands and set a new standard for data center infrastructure.”

“These data centers could be a huge blessing to everyone in Millard County,” said Millard County Commission Chair Trevor Johnson during the public meeting to consider the rezoning request.

Vicki Lyman, another Millard County commissioner, noted the increase in
tax revenue.

“The data centers will bring in a tax base, which will make our property taxes decrease,” Lyman said.

Founded in Salt Lake City in 1951, Wheeler Machinery Co. is a locally owned and operated Caterpillar dealer offering Cat power systems and construction machinery. Wheeler has designed and constructed more than a dozen power plants throughout Utah.