Amazon's West Texas Gas Power Plant Could Be One of the Largest in the US
Amazon is behind one of the largest planned gas power plants in the US, according to recent permits filed by GW Ranch. The project, located in Pecos County, Texas, will generate 7.65 gigawatts of power using 35 turbines and emit up to 33 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Amazon confirmed it has acquired a site for the data center campus, which will be powered by on-site natural gas generation. The company claims it is committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 under The Climate Pledge, but this project could put those goals further out of reach.
The gas power plant would be entirely disconnected from the Texas electricity grid at least initially and would use non-potable, brackish groundwater as a source. Amazon has enabled 10 GW of carbon-free energy across 40 projects in Texas to power its existing data center operations.