Amazon’s new 7.65GW Texas AI data center power plant could become the largest source of CO₂ pollution in the US — custom 35-turbine gas plant authorized to emit 33 million tons of annual greenhouse gases
Amazon is reportedly building a 7.65GW natural gas power plant in Texas to feed a new AI data center, with permits allowing up to 33 million tons of CO₂ emissions per year.
A new Amazon data center in Texas is poised to become the largest source of carbon emissions in the United States, according to a report by The New York Times. The company is constructing a natural gas power plant to supply energy for their new data center at the same site. The plant, capable of generating up to 7.65 gigawatts of power using 35 natural gas turbines, has been authorized to emit 33 million tons of CO2 annually - more than any other power plant in the country.
Despite Amazon's pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across all its global operations by 2040, the company's emissions have been increasing annually in recent years. This rise is attributed to the surge in data centers supporting the AI boom. Amazon currently operates the most data centers worldwide and is building additional AI data centers globally.
Amazon has acknowledged the impact of its AI ambitions on its climate pledges, yet insists its commitment remains unchanged. "The world looks different now than when we co-founded the Climate Pledge," stated Margaret Callahan, Amazon's spokeswoman. "Our commitment hasn't changed."
The trend towards on-site power generation, or "behind-the-meter" moves, is becoming more common among hyperscalers and data center operators. This shift is driven by the lengthy timelines for establishing new power infrastructure and rising anti-data center sentiments over rising electricity costs in nearby communities. While some companies are exploring nuclear and renewable energy sources, gas power plants remain popular due to their scalability and rapid availability.
The Trump administration has supported such projects for data centers, favoring oil, natural gas, and coal over renewable energy sources.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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- Amazon secretly circumvents community vote for massive AI data center using 45-year-old rules — Gilroy residents locked out of public comment window tomshardware.com
- Amazon is backing a 7.65 GW gas plant for an off-grid TX AI data center, potentially the largest single US emissions source, at odds with its 2040 net-zero goal (Hiroko Tabuchi/New York Times) nytimes.com
