Planned Amazon data center in Texas could become the biggest climate polluter in the U.S.
Amazon is building an on-site gas power plant for a data center in Pecos County, Texas, permitted to emit 33 million tons of CO2 annually — more than any other U.S. power plant, according to The New York Times.
According to The New York Times, Amazon's planned data center in Pecos County, Texas, includes an on-site power plant that could become the largest single source of climate pollution in the United States. The facility is permitted to release up to 33 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, a figure that would exceed emissions from any other power plant currently operating in the country.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the data center will be powered by new on-site generation, adding that the arrangement won't raise electricity costs for Texas households. Data centers have increasingly become targets of political opposition, partly due to concerns over their impact on local electricity prices.
Rising emissions
The growth of AI has already had a measurable effect on Amazon's carbon footprint. The company reported that its emissions rose 16% last year, moving in the opposite direction of its pledge to eliminate carbon emissions entirely by 2040.
The trend could worsen further, as Amazon and other technology companies are backing the construction of large natural gas plants to meet the enormous power demands of AI-driven data centers.
An Amazon representative said that "the world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge," while maintaining that "our commitment hasn't changed."
