The US has overtaken China in the construction of new gas-fired power plants for the first time in decades, driven by a surge in datacentre building to meet artificial intelligence demand, according to a new analysis by Global Energy Monitor. The shift matters because it undercuts claims by Donald Trump and his administration that China's fossil fuel growth makes US emissions cuts pointless, while also locking in decades of additional planet-heating pollution and dependence on volatile gas prices, which will ultimately be passed on to consumers.

The US is now building twice as much gas-fired capacity as China after a 76% rise in under-construction projects in the first half of the year, with overall capacity in development jumping 50% since January to 378GW. If completed, these projects would expand the US gas fleet by around two-thirds at a cost exceeding $647bn, with roughly half tied directly to new datacentres, potentially raising US power emissions by up to 20%. A turbine shortage has pushed some firms, including Elon Musk's xAI, towards smaller, more polluting equipment, while growing public opposition, cited by three-quarters of Americans in one poll, has prompted restrictions in numerous cities and a temporary datacentre construction ban in New York, even as the Trump administration continues to fast-track such projects.