New Amazon Data Center Stokes Worry It Would Be the Most Polluting Power Plant in the U.S.
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- Amazon confirmed Friday it is investing in a large-scale natural-gas-burning power plant to power a data center in Pecos County, Texas, part of the tech industry's race to supply electricity for surging AI demand.
- The planned gas plant would be permitted to release 33 million tons of carbon dioxide a year, more planet-warming gases than any other power plant in the country, according to regulatory records.
- Amazon co-founded the Climate Pledge, a voluntary commitment to effectively eliminate planet-warming emissions by 2040, but the company's emissions have risen each of the past several years.
- Amazon has acknowledged that rising emissions from A.I. data centers could get in the way of its climate goals, with spokeswoman Margaret Callahan saying "the world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge."
- An Amazon spokeswoman said the Pecos County data center would be "powered by new on-site generation that won't raise electricity costs for Texas families."
Why it matters: Amazon co-founded the Climate Pledge and promised to eliminate its planet-warming emissions by 2040, yet this single Texas facility — permitted for 33 million tons of CO2 a year — would outpoll every U.S. power plant. The company's own "the world looks different now" admission lays bare the collision between AI infrastructure buildout and voluntary climate commitments it helped write.
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