Amazon’s new Texas data center campus could become nation’s largest polluter
Amazon's new data center campus, GW Ranch, in Pecos County, Texas, is projected to become the nation's largest polluter due to its planned 7.65-gigawatt natural gas power plant. This project raises concerns about Amazon's climate commitments and utilizes a strategy of on-site power generation, which critics argue is a loophole in state regulations encouraged by Gov. Greg Abbott. Other tech giants like Microsoft are also pursuing similar off-grid data center developments in the region.
Amazon's new GW Ranch data center campus in Pecos County, West Texas, is slated to be powered by a 7.65-gigawatt natural gas plant developed by Pacifico Energy. This plant, which has a state-issued air permit allowing 33 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, could surpass the nation's largest coal-burning power plant in pollution, as reported by the climate-focused Distilled newsletter. The project site encompasses 8,400 acres north of Fort Stockton, with land clearing already underway.
Internal documents indicate that this colocated gas plant allows Amazon's data centers to operate independently of the Texas power grid and obtain minor air permits by classifying the plant as a separate entity. Critics, despite Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's claims of stringent data center regulations, contend that he has fostered this legal loophole by encouraging on-site power generation. This strategy appears to contradict Amazon's public commitment to net-zero emissions by 2040 under its Climate Pledge.
Amazon's GW Ranch marks its first venture into off-grid electricity generation, a trend increasingly adopted by "hyperscalers" like Microsoft, Google, and Meta to support the AI boom. Microsoft, in partnership with Chevron, also announced plans for a similar off-grid natural gas-powered data center campus near the town of Pecos. Additionally, data center developer Vantage recently constructed a colocated power plant in San Antonio, raising pollution concerns among local residents.