Planned Amazon Data Centre Could Become Biggest Climate Polluter in U.S.

Amazon is planning a data centre in Pecos County, Texas, that could become home to the largest source of climate pollution from a power plant in the United States, according to The New York Times.

The project includes an on-site natural gas power plant that has been permitted to release up to 33 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. That would make it the largest permitted source of power plant emissions in the country.

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the data centre will be powered by new on-site generation, saying the setup is intended to avoid increasing electricity costs for Texas households.

The project highlights the growing energy demands of artificial intelligence and the environmental costs associated with building the infrastructure needed to support it.

Amazon’s emissions are rising

Amazon’s carbon emissions increased 16% last year, despite the company’s commitment to eliminate its carbon emissions by 2040. The increase comes as Amazon and other technology companies invest heavily in data centres to support AI services.

Those investments are also driving greater interest in large natural gas power plants, which can provide electricity directly to data centres without relying entirely on the existing grid.

Amazon defended its broader climate strategy, with a spokesperson saying that “the world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge,” while insisting that the company’s commitment to reducing emissions has not changed.

The Texas project reflects a wider challenge facing the technology industry as companies attempt to expand AI infrastructure while limiting the environmental impact of the electricity needed to operate increasingly power-hungry data centres.