An Amazon data center could have the worst polluting power plant in the country
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- GW Ranch, an Amazon-owned site in Pecos County, Texas, received a permit allowing up to 33 million tons of CO2 emissions—more than even the largest coal plant in the country—according to Cleanview, which tracks data centers and their associated power projects.
- Amazon is investing in a new gas-burning plant featuring 35 natural-gas turbines delivering 7.65 gigawatts of electricity primarily to its new West Texas data center, which would initially operate off the state power grid.
- Amazon's Climate Pledge—under which Jeff Bezos pledged to make the company carbon neutral by 2040—faces a setback, as the company's emissions have climbed for several years due to AI demand.
- Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan told the New York Times that "the world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge," but added, "our commitment hasn't changed."
- Meta and Google have also begun building their own power plants using gas, coal, and other non-renewable sources to meet surging AI data center demands.
- The Trump administration has sought to lift restrictions on polluting power plants, enabling the build-out trend.
- In a later statement, Amazon said the Pecos County campus plans to transition to grid-connected service, explore on-site solar energy and battery storage, and use non-potable water for cooling.
Why it matters: Amazon's Climate Pledge promised carbon neutrality by 2040, but the GW Ranch permit—up to 33 million tons of CO2—alone exceeds what the country's largest coal plants are permitted to emit. The company now pairs that pledge with a gas-driven AI buildout on a plant initially off-grid, a tension Amazon's own spokesperson acknowledged.
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