Amazon announces massive AI data center plans for Pecos County
Amazon is planning a massive AI data center campus in Pecos County, Texas, which will be powered by its own natural gas plant. This plant has the potential to become a major source of carbon emissions. Amazon states it will not increase electricity costs for Texans and is exploring solar and battery solutions.
Amazon has announced plans for a large artificial intelligence data center campus in Pecos County, Texas, which will utilize an on-site natural gas power plant.
According to reports from Clean View and The New York Times, Amazon acquired the GW Ranch site where 35 natural gas turbines are intended to generate up to 7.65 gigawatts of electricity. The facility is initially slated to operate independently of the Texas power grid. However, the natural gas plant has been permitted to release an estimated 33 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, raising concerns about its potential to become the largest source of climate pollution from a power plant in the United States.
Amazon states that the project will not lead to increased electricity costs for Texas residents and that the company is actively investigating options for solar power and battery storage solutions at the site. Furthermore, Amazon anticipates the project will generate thousands of new jobs in the region.