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Report shows Texas to lead nation in data center power plants
The Texas Tribune • • business
Key Points:
- Texas leads the nation with 32 planned natural gas-fired power plants dedicated to fueling data centers, out of 74 such projects nationwide, raising concerns about significant greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
- These Texas plants could emit over 287 million tons of greenhouse gases annually, equivalent to emissions from 61 million gasoline-powered cars, along with thousands of tons of harmful pollutants linked to serious health problems.
- Many proposed facilities are located in lower-income communities with existing poor health outcomes, potentially exacerbating health disparities due to increased air pollution.
- The surge in data center demand, driven by AI growth, is prompting developers to build on-site power plants, raising concerns about grid reliability, rising residential electricity costs, and environmental impacts.
- State leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, are pushing for data center developers to bear infrastructure costs and are planning regulatory measures to manage the industry's rapid expansion and its impact on the electric grid.
