Amazon has confirmed plans to build a major data center in Pecos County, Texas, and is investing in a dedicated off-grid natural gas power plant to support it. Regulatory permits reveal the facility's annual carbon dioxide emissions cap is set at 33 million tons, which, if operated at maximum capacity, would make it the largest single-source carbon emitter in the United States, highlighting the sharp conflict between the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and emission reduction targets.
The explosive growth of AI technology has led to an exponential surge in computing power and electricity demand for tech companies. To avoid the lengthy approval process required to connect to the public grid, Amazon has chosen to build its own power plant directly next to the data center. Permit documents show the plant will install 35 natural gas turbines with a total generation capacity of 7.65 gigawatts, operating initially without grid connection and exclusively powering the Amazon data center.
Regulatory records indicate that the approved annual carbon dioxide emissions cap for this natural gas plant significantly exceeds that of the current largest emitter in the U.S.—the James H. Miller Jr. coal plant in Alabama, which emits about 16 million tons annually. Although natural gas produces less pollution per unit of electricity than coal, the massive scale of this project causes its total potential carbon emissions to multiply.
Environmental groups warn that pollutants released during the plant's operation pose a direct threat to local air quality and public health. In recent years, Amazon has co-founded climate initiatives, pledging to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. However, driven by surging energy consumption from AI data centers, Amazon's greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise year over year.
In response to criticism, Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan stated that while the current environment differs from when the initiative was launched, the company's emission reduction commitment remains unchanged. Callahan emphasized that the on-site power plant will not increase electricity costs for Texas households, and the company is exploring the possibility of integrating solar and battery storage technologies into the project.
Industry analysts note that Amazon's move reflects a broader trend among U.S. tech companies—a new wave of "off-grid fossil fuel power generation" to meet AI computing demands. Meanwhile, the current U.S. administration continues to promote an "energy dominance" policy, encouraging the development of oil, gas, and fossil fuels, while expediting the approval process for data centers and their supporting energy facilities through executive orders. Environmental group Public Citizen warns that the clustered development of such large-scale fossil fuel projects will have profound negative impacts on regional ecosystems and climate action efforts.
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