An Amazon data center could have the worst polluting power plant in the country
Amazon is investing in a new natural-gas power plant in Texas to support its growing data center operations, which may become one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the U.S. This development complicates Amazon's public commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040.
Why it matters
It illustrates the tension between the massive energy demands of AI infrastructure and corporate environmental sustainability goals.
To power its new West Texas data center, Amazon is investing in the construction of a new power plant that could be one of the largest single producers of greenhouse gases in the US, according to the New York Times. The new gas-burning plant in Pecos County, Texas has received significant investment from Amazon and, at least initially, would not be connected to the state’s power grid. Instead, its 35 natural-gas turbines would primarily deliver its 7.65 gigawatts of electricity to the new data center.
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