Power
4–7 GW peak generation. Origin is a net energy exporter.
Origin's peak power demand is 3–5 gigawatts — two to three full nuclear plants worth of electricity, sustained, base-load. The realistic stack uses SMRs as primary, solar for daytime peak shaving, Apex wind, waste-to-energy, geothermal where geology cooperates, and grid-scale battery storage.
Small Modular Reactors — primary base load
4 to 8 reactors deployed underground in the Foundation excavation. Underground siting eliminates virtually all attack vectors and accident propagation. By 2035–2040 commissioning, SMRs are commercially mature.
Real options
NuScale Power Module (60 MW each, walk-away safe, NRC-certified). GE Hitachi BWRX-300 (300 MW). Rolls-Royce SMR (470 MW). X-energy Xe-100 (80 MW gas-cooled). Likely Origin order: 4× BWRX-300 = 1.2 GW, or 8× NuScale = 480 MW, or a mix delivering 1.5–2.5 GW base load.
50–100 sq mi of utility PV
Solar in the buffer zone surrounding Origin. At Colorado Plateau insolation (~6.5 peak sun hours), 50 sq mi of solar produces around 1–2 GW peak. Intermittent, but matches daytime cooling demand exactly when load peaks. Buffer zone solar doubles as land-use demonstrating Origin's anti-extractive philosophy: the surrounding buffer is productive, not exclusionary.
Wind at the Apex
The top 60 floors of the Spire are above virtually all atmospheric turbulence. Wind speeds at 7,000+ ft are sustained — likely 15–25 mph average, frequently above the 35 mph threshold for max output. The Apex hosts a ring of vertical-axis turbines integrated into the structure plus possibly larger horizontal-axis turbines on dedicated mast extensions.
Realistic generation: 50–200 MW. Symbolically powerful — turbines on the silhouette make Origin's role as energy producer visible.
Waste-to-energy in Foundation
1.9M people generate massive waste. A modern waste-to-energy facility (Covanta-class, full emissions controls) processes 1,500–3,000 tons/day and generates 30–100 MW from heat. Origin's facility processes all internal waste plus possibly imports waste from surrounding region for revenue, recovers metals, and reduces landfill demand to near zero. Circular economy element.
Battery and geothermal
Battery storage: 500 MWh–1 GWh of grid-scale battery (Tesla Megapack-class) for solar/wind smoothing and SMR load following. Underground siting in Foundation.
Geothermal: site-dependent. If Colorado Plateau geology cooperates, deep geothermal could contribute 100–300 MW. Survey-dependent. Not counted in baseline production estimates.