A new Amazon data center is set to become the single largest source of environmental pollution in the US, according to a New York Times report.
The tech giant — which already operates the most data centers worldwide — is reportedly building a natural gas power plant in Pecos County, Texas, to power its new data center at the same site. According to project permits, the plant would generate up to 7.65 gigawatts of power using 35 natural gas turbines.
The new plant — which burns natural gas to generate electricity — has been authorized to release 33 million tons of CO2 annually. That is more planet-warming gases than any other power plant in the country, says the NY Times report.
Amazon’s Climate Pledge Under Strain
Amazon had pledged to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across all its global business operations by 2040. The company made the promise in 2019 when it initiated and co-founded The Climate Pledge — a voluntary coalition of over 700 companies and partners aimed at addressing its own corporate footprint and rallying global supply chains.
However, the company has seen its emissions rise each year for the past several years, something analysts attribute to a spike in data centers to support the AI boom. The company is currently building several additional AI data centers globally, including the one that the new gas plant would power in Texas.
Amazon has acknowledged the impact of its intense AI ambitions on its earlier climate pledges but insisted the company remained committed to them. “The world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge,” said Margaret Callahan, an Amazon spokeswoman. “Our commitment hasn’t changed.”
The Data Center Power Shift
As detailed in Tom’s Hardware’s data center power roadmap, an increasing number of hyperscalers and data center operators are switching from grid connections to dedicated on-site power generation. The “behind-the-meter” moves are being triggered mainly by the long timelines required to set up new power infrastructure to connect new power-hungry data centers to the grid, but also by growing anti-data center sentiments over irreversible hikes in the electricity bills of nearby communities.
While many companies are also pursuing nuclear and renewable energy options — examples being Microsoft’s Three Mile Island nuclear deal and Meta’s agreement to secure up to 1GW of orbital solar energy capacity — gas appears to be the leading preference due to its scalability and speed of availability.
The Bottom Line
Amazon is building a massive natural gas power plant in Pecos County, Texas, to power a new AI data center. The plant, which would use 35 gas turbines to generate 7.65 gigawatts of power, has been authorized to emit 33 million tons of CO2 annually — potentially making it the largest source of greenhouse gas pollution in the US. The project underscores the tension between the AI boom’s energy demands and corporate climate pledges. Amazon insists it remains committed to its 2040 net-zero goal despite rising emissions.
