In the latest episode of Let’s Get Digital, Carrie Charles, host of the show and CEO of tech staffing firm Broadstaff, speaks with Gauri Podtar, Chief Commercial Officer of GPC Infrastructure, about her career, the company’s mission, and how they are helping data centers secure reliable, efficient power. With more than 20 years in the energy and commodity markets, Gauri has built her expertise across consulting, renewable energy development, natural gas and power markets, environmental trading, and infrastructure. Her work has included co-founding a water infrastructure company for the oil and gas industry and now leading GPC’s efforts to bring behind-the-meter natural gas generation directly to data centers.
GPC Infrastructure focuses exclusively on the data center sector, delivering on-site natural gas power as either an alternative or a supplement to grid connections. Their approach covers the entire value chain, from securing gas supply and managing commodity risk to overseeing operations and facility design. Gauri explains that while equipment choices like turbines or reciprocating engines are important, true reliability comes from integrating every step of the process. This includes navigating regulatory requirements, ensuring redundancy, managing air permitting, and structuring power purchase agreements that address both operational and commodity risks.
For GPC, reliability is central. They assume operational risk by designing for uptime at the rack level, with redundancy in both equipment and gas supply. They also manage commodity risk, securing firm gas transportation, balancing intraday fluctuations, and optimizing opportunities to interact with the grid when beneficial. This approach allows them to guarantee service levels and meet the demanding needs of data center clients.
Sustainability is another core consideration. Gauri points out that on-site natural gas generation can be more efficient than grid power by eliminating transmission losses and enabling waste heat capture. Using technologies like absorption chillers, waste heat can be converted into cooling for the data center, improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas intensity. GPC also offers the option to blend renewable natural gas into the fuel supply or bundle renewable energy credits and carbon offsets, giving customers flexibility to meet their sustainability goals.
Gauri shares examples of projects where GPC solved complex challenges, such as securing firm gas supply through alternative pipelines when utility power was delayed for years, and designing hybrid solutions in air quality non-attainment areas that combined on-site generation with grid power. She emphasizes that understanding local pipeline capacity, regulatory requirements, and permitting constraints is essential to delivering projects on time and at scale.
The natural gas market offers advantages for data centers, including faster response times, more location options, and flexible pricing structures compared to traditional utility timelines. GPC leverages these benefits to open up new development regions and accelerate project timelines, especially in markets where grid power is constrained.
Looking ahead, Gauri believes large-scale data centers will increasingly resemble industrial facilities that combine self-generation with grid interaction to control costs, manage risk, and optimize efficiency. While adoption of on-site natural gas generation in the data center industry is still evolving, she sees growing recognition of its value and is focused on building trust through proven reliability and partnership.
Her personal motivation comes from a love of solving problems, building teams, and making a positive impact. She is driven by the challenge of addressing big industry needs in a responsible way and by setting an example for her children that perseverance and creativity can tackle even the toughest problems.
Tune in to the full episode of Let’s Get Digital featuring Guari Podtar’s episode here.
