Amazon constructs 7.65-gigawatt natural gas power plant in Texas to fuel new AI data center, with permits authorizing 33 million tons annual CO₂ emissions.
A new Amazon data center is set to become the single largest source of environmental pollution in the United States. According to a New York Times report from August 8, the tech giant—which already operates the most data centers worldwide—is building a natural gas power plant in Pecos County, Texas, to power a new data center at the same location.
The proposed plant would generate up to 7.65 gigawatts of power using 35 natural gas turbines and has been authorized to release 33 million tons of CO₂ annually, more planet-warming gases than any other power plant in the country.
This development stands in stark contrast to Amazon's public commitments. The company pledged to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across all global business operations by 2040, a promise made in 2019 when it initiated and co-founded The Climate Pledge—a voluntary coalition of over 700 companies and partners aimed at addressing corporate carbon footprints and rallying global supply chains. However, Amazon's emissions have risen each year for the past several years, a trend analysts attribute to the spike in data centers required to support the AI boom.
Amazon acknowledged the tension between its AI ambitions and earlier climate pledges but insisted the company remained committed to its goals. "The world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge," said Margaret Callahan, an Amazon spokeswoman. "Still, our commitment hasn't changed." Similar statements have come from Microsoft, which is struggling to fulfill its 2030 sustainability promise amid carbon-heavy AI expansion but insists it remains committed to the target.
An increasing number of hyperscalers and data center operators are switching from grid connections to dedicated on-site power generation—so-called "behind-the-meter" moves. These shifts are driven primarily by the long timelines required to set up new power infrastructure connecting power-hungry data centers to existing grids, as well as by growing anti-data center sentiment over irreversible increases in electricity bills for nearby communities.
While some companies pursue nuclear and renewable options—including Microsoft's Three Mile Island nuclear deal and Meta's agreement to secure up to 1GW of orbital solar energy capacity—natural gas remains the leading preference due to its scalability and rapid deployment. The Trump administration has actively promoted such projects for data centers, backing oil, natural gas, and coal over renewable energy sources.