An Amazon data center could have the worst polluting power plant in the country
Amazon is backing a new gas-fired power plant in Pecos County, Texas, intended primarily to supply a nearby data centre rather than the state grid. The project could become one of the United States’ largest individual sources of greenhouse-gas emissions, highlighting the growing environmental cost of powering AI infrastructure and challenging Amazon’s climate commitments.
The GW Ranch plant is planned to use 35 natural-gas turbines and generate 7.65 gigawatts of electricity. Texas has permitted it to emit up to 33 million tonnes of CO2 annually—more than the country’s largest coal plant is permitted to emit—although actual emissions may be lower; Amazon has bought the site and says it will buy its power. The development follows similar moves by major technology firms as AI-driven electricity demand rises, while Amazon’s emissions have increased in recent years despite its target of becoming carbon neutral by 2040.
- Amazon-backed Texas plant could emit up to 33 million tonnes of CO2 annually.
- It would mainly power a 7.65-gigawatt Amazon data centre.
- AI energy demand is straining Amazon’s climate pledge.
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Data centres are large sites filled with computer equipment that store information and run online services. They use substantial amounts of electricity, particularly as companies expand artificial intelligence systems, which require powerful chips working around the clock.
Natural gas is a fossil fuel that produces carbon dioxide when burned. Power stations using it can provide electricity when needed, but their emissions contribute to climate change; permits set the maximum pollution a facility is allowed to release, not necessarily what it will produce.
Amazon is one of several major technology companies investing in the infrastructure needed for AI and cloud computing. It has also set climate targets, so the use of dedicated fossil-fuel power raises questions about how rising electricity demand will fit with companies’ plans to reduce emissions.