Amazon Texas Data Center to Power Gas Plant, Raise Pollution

Amazon plans to build a 7.65 gigawatt gas plant to power a new data center in Pecos County, Texas.

The company stated this facility will not increase utility bills for households. However, the project is projected to increase pollution. This development comes amid a broader debate about the environmental impact of data centers and their energy demands. Governor Greg Abbott previously issued a statewide pause on data center project approvals. Vistra CEO Jim Burke expressed a desire to see the queues culled.

Former U.S. Representative Tim Ryan and Senior Adviser Justin Zorn suggested that communities across political divides are struggling to communicate productively with data center developers. They proposed that Americans could come together to define and certify practices that meet community standards for affordability, water safeguarding, and job provision. The Cherokee Nation announced a ban on data center construction on tribally owned land.

In July, a conservative activist helped organize 142 protests against data centers across 42 states. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders have called for national moratoriums on data center construction. U.S. President Donald Trump called opposition to Texas's data center projects a mistake.