ChipsAugust 8, 2026via The Verge AI
An Amazon data center could have the worst polluting power plant in the country
Why it matters
The compute buildout's hidden cost: as AI infrastructure scales, the power and emissions footprint becomes impossible to ignore. Amazon's isolated gas plant signals how data-center economics are reshaping energy policy and environmental impact.
Key signals
- Amazon investing in new gas-burning power plant in Pecos County, Texas
- Plant capacity: 7.65 gigawatts from 35 natural-gas turbines
- Plant initially not connected to state power grid; dedicated to single data center
- New York Times reports plant could be one of largest single greenhouse-gas producers in US
- Tracked by Cleanview (data center and power project monitoring)
- Permit issued by Texas
The hook
7.65 gigawatts. Amazon's new West Texas data center just locked in what could be the country's worst single polluting power plant to feed it.
To power its new West Texas data center, Amazon is investing in the construction of a new power plant that could be one of the largest single producers of greenhouse gases in the US, according to the New York Times. The new gas-burning plant in Pecos County, Texas has received significant investment…