GE Vernova said on 28 October that its third-quarter orders rose 96% organically to $29.3 billion, and Vertiv said its organic orders grew more than 100% the same day. Both count data-centre operators among their customers, alongside utilities and other buyers.
On the approval side, 61% of US adults now oppose new data centres in their area, up from 49% in the spring, the Annenberg Public Policy Center found. Opponents outnumber supporters about 4.4 to 1, up from about 2.3 to 1, by our arithmetic. Texas has halted state permits for data centres since 21 September.
Short explainer · Power Orders Nearly Double as 61% Oppose New Data Centers
A vertical news Short summarising this story. Figures come from GE Vernova, Vertiv, the Texas Governor and the Annenberg Public Policy Center; our arithmetic is labelled.
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The key insight: As we read the releases, organic orders at two suppliers that serve data-centre customers, among others, roughly doubled in the third quarter, while Texas has paused permits since 21 September and Annenberg’s June-July survey found 4.4 opponents per supporter, by our arithmetic.
GE Vernova’s third-quarter release says “orders of $29.3 billion increased + 96% organically”, led by equipment at its Power segment. It raised its 2026 free cash flow guidance to $16 billion to $17 billion, up from $11.5 billion to $12.5 billion.
The midpoint moved from $12.0 billion to $16.5 billion, up $4.5 billion or 37.5%, by our arithmetic. Chief executive Scott Strazik said the company continues to develop new solutions “for utility and data center customers to meet growing demand”.
Vertiv’s release reports net sales of $4,313 million, 61% higher than a year earlier, and “Organic Orders Growth over 100%”. It raised its full-year 2026 guidance across all key metrics.
Third-quarter 2026 organic order growth at GE Vernova and Vertiv, and the share of US adults opposing and supporting new data centres in their area in the February-March and June-July 2026 surveys (Annenberg Public Policy Center, released October 2026). Ratios are FourWeekMBA arithmetic.
The Permit and the Poll
On 21 September, Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to halt all permits sought by data centres until the state grid operator, ERCOT, completes its audit. “Until they do, TCEQ will issue no permits sought by data center projects”, he said.
The Annenberg survey found 61% of US adults oppose the construction of new data centres in their area, 44% strongly. Only 14% are supportive, down from 21% in the spring. Majorities of Democrats (69%), Republicans (54%) and independents (53%) are opposed.
The Business Lever: Orders Are Not Sites
Equipment makers book orders when customers commit to buy turbines, grid gear and cooling. A data centre still needs a site with a permit and a power connection before that equipment can run.
The releases read do not say how much of either company’s orders depend on sites that still need permits. The Texas directive and the Annenberg numbers describe the approval side of the same build.
The Structural Read
As we read the two releases, GE Vernova’s orders were led by gas power equipment and Vertiv serves data-centre infrastructure, and both raised their 2026 guidance.
As we read the Texas directive, the state will not issue permits sought by data-centre projects until the ERCOT audit is complete.
As we read the Annenberg numbers, opposition rose 12 points since the spring and crosses party lines.
Governor Greg Abbott, Texas, 21 September 2026
“Until they do, TCEQ will issue no permits sought by data center projects.”
Three Implications
FOR EQUIPMENT MAKERS GE Vernova raised its 2026 free cash flow guidance to $16 billion to $17 billion, according to its release.
FOR DEVELOPERS The Texas directive says no state agency shall move forward with regulatory approvals related to data center development until the audit information is acquired.
FOR LOCAL OFFICIALS Annenberg found majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents oppose new data centres in their area.
The framework says “The structural bottleneck isn’t computing, it’s electrons.”
As we read it, GE Vernova’s orders rose 96% organically and Vertiv’s organic orders more than 100% in the third quarter, while the permits and local support a data centre needs to connect have tightened since the spring. The framework is the owner’s argument and does not discuss these releases or the survey.
Neither release breaks out orders tied to Texas or to sites awaiting permits. The Annenberg survey measures national opinion, not local votes. The Texas directive sets no end date beyond the completion of the ERCOT and water audits.
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GE Vernova’s orders rose 96% organically and Vertiv’s organic orders more than doubled, while Texas paused data-centre permits and 61% of US adults told Annenberg they oppose new local sites, about 4.4 opponents per supporter, by our arithmetic.
A note on sourcing. All facts and figures come from GE Vernova’s and Vertiv’s 28 October releases, the Texas Governor’s 21 September release and the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s survey release, read on 31 October 2026. Ratios are our arithmetic. We did not contact the companies.
Gennaro Cuofano is a CRO and tech executive who has worked in AI since late 2015, starting with bringing NLP, natural-language generation, voice and chatbot products to the marketing industry. His background is in law and finance: he holds a Master's degree in Law and an International MBA with an emphasis on corporate finance (LUISS Business School and the University of San Diego, 2012), and worked as a financial analyst at a real-estate investment firm in San Diego and as an assistant controller. His work focuses on business model strategy, business engineering and, more broadly, structural analysis: how companies make money, read from their own filings. He created FourWeekMBA and leads research there and at The Business Engineer, his newsletter on AI and business strategy, with over 95,000 subscribers and more than 1,000 published analyses. His writing has also appeared on Entrepreneur (for example, How to Digitize a Family Business in Europe) and HackerNoon. Find him on LinkedIn and Substack. See how we source.
