Amazon data center in Texas receives permit for power plant that could become largest US climate polluter

Amazon is investing in a massive new data center in Pecos County, Texas, powered by an on-site, 7.65-gigawatt natural gas plant. The planned GW Ranch facility has received a Texas permit to emit up to 33 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, potentially making it the largest single source of climate pollution in the United States. This development highlights the severe strain that power-hungry artificial intelligence calculations are placing on the U.S. electrical grid. While tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Meta increasingly turn to fossil fuels to meet these AI demands, Amazon's carbon emissions have risen—surging 16% last year—threatening its Climate Pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.

Amazon Texas data center

• ▪An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the Pecos County data center will be powered by new on-site generation that will not raise electricity costs for Texas families
• ▪Amazon is investing in a new data center in Pecos County, Texas, that will be powered by an on-site natural gas power plant

Natural gas power plant

• ▪The GW Ranch power plant in Texas, at least initially, would operate independently without being connected to the state's power grid
• ▪The planned GW Ranch power plant in Pecos County, Texas, will feature 35 natural-gas turbines designed to deliver 7.65 gigawatts of electricity directly to the Amazon data center

Carbon emissions permits

• ▪The GW Ranch power plant in Pecos County, Texas, received a state permit allowing for the emission of up to 33 million tons of carbon dioxide per year
• ▪The 33 million tons of carbon dioxide permitted for the GW Ranch power plant exceeds the permitted emissions of any other power plant, including the largest coal plant, in the United States

AI energy demands

• ▪Artificial intelligence data centers require immense amounts of energy to run calculations, which is fast exhausting the electricity-generating capacity of the United States power grid
• ▪The skyrocketing energy demands of artificial intelligence data centers have caused Amazon's carbon emissions to rise for several consecutive years

Amazon Climate Pledge failure

• ▪Amazon co-founded the Climate Pledge with a voluntary commitment to make the company carbon neutral and eliminate its planet-warming emissions by 2040
• ▪Amazon reported that its carbon emissions increased by 16% last year, representing a setback for its 2040 carbon neutrality goal
• ▪Amazon spokeswoman Margaret Callahan stated that the world looks different now than when the company co-founded the climate pledge, but asserted that Amazon's commitment has not changed

Tech fossil fuel investments

• ▪The Trump administration has sought to lift environmental restrictions on polluting power plants
• ▪Major technology companies, including Meta and Google, are building their own power plants and turning to non-renewable energy sources like gas and coal to support their data centers