Data Centers Fuel New US Natural Gas Buildout Amid AI Boom
The growth of data centers to power artificial intelligence is driving a new natural gas buildout in the United States. According to Global Energy Monitor, planned gas-fired power capacity tied to data centers nearly doubled in the first half of 2026, with 189 GW directly attributed to these facilities.
Amazon is building a massive gas-fired power plant in Texas that could become the largest source of power-related emissions in the country if it's developed as planned. Nvidia is teaming up with SoftBank and the US government to build the nation's largest fossil-fuel plant, while Microsoft is discussing a $7 billion gas-powered data center with Chevron.
A recent report found that data centers could consume between 224.3 terawatt-hours and 358.8 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, an increase of 50% over the previous year. This energy demand is putting pressure on consumers, who are largely footing the bill for Big Tech's energy needs.
However, some experts warn that planned gas-powered additions may not materialize due to bottlenecks in gas turbine supply and potential social backlash against data center development.