America now has 3 times the amount of gas power in development as China, thanks to data centers
The U.S. data center boom is driving such a surge in gas power developments that we are now outpacing China, with nearly three times the amount of gas-fired capacity in the works. In the first half of 2026 alone, the number of gas-fired capacity under development for data centers in the U.S. nearly doubled, according to a new report from Global Energy Monitor, a research nonprofit that tracks…
The United States now possesses nearly three times the amount of gas power development in progress compared to China, according to a new report from Global Energy Monitor. This is primarily due to the rapid expansion of data centers in the U.S. In the first half of 2026 alone, gas-fired capacity under development for data centers in the U.S. nearly doubled, increasing from 97 gigawatts at the end of 2025 to 189 gigawatts.
One gigawatt of electricity can power approximately one million homes. These gigawatts include projects that have been announced, are in pre-construction, or are currently under construction. This surge in gas projects is not limited to data centers; overall U.S. gas power development has increased by 50% in the first half of 2026, from 252 gigawatts to 378 gigawatts.
A significant portion of this pipeline is located in Texas, where 122 gigawatts of gas-fired capacity is in development, more than many entire countries are planning.
Despite this growth, not all planned gas projects will be built. Factors such as turbine supply constraints, financing issues, and growing backlash against data centers could delay or prevent some projects from coming to fruition. Furthermore, while 77 gigawatts of the Texas capacity is planned to directly power data centers, China is powering its data centers with clean energy, requiring at least 80% of electricity to come from renewable sources like solar, wind, and batteries for many of its large data center hubs.
However, the future of these gas projects remains uncertain. Only about a quarter of the projects specifically planned for data centers have announced a start year. Jenny Martos, project manager for the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker at Global Energy Monitor, notes that it is difficult to determine which proposals are merely pie-in-the-sky and which have a real chance of being built. Nevertheless, if these projects are realized, they will result in locked-in greenhouse gas emissions and increased electricity prices.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
