Planned Amazon data center could become the biggest climate polluter in the U.S.
In Brief Posted: 2:24 PM PDT · August 8, 2026 Image Credits:Thossaphol / Getty Images Anthony Ha Planned Amazon data center could become the biggest climate polluter in the U.S. As part of a planned data center in Pecos County, Texas, Amazon is investing in an on-site power plant that could become…
In Brief Posted: 2:24 PM PDT · August 8, 2026 Image Credits:Thossaphol / Getty Images Anthony Ha Planned Amazon data center could become the biggest climate polluter in the U.S. As part of a planned data center in Pecos County, Texas, Amazon is investing in an on-site power plant that could become the largest source of climate pollution in the United States, according to The New York Times. The NYT says the plant would burn natural gas and is permitted to release 33 million tons of carbon dioxide per year — more than any other power plant in the U.S. In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the data center will “be powered by new on-site generation that won’t raise electricity costs for Texas families.” (Data centers face growing political opposition for a number of reasons, including their effect on electricity costs.) AI has already had a significant impact on Amazon’s carbon emissions, which it reported were up 16% last year — the wrong direction for a company that pledged to eliminate its carbon emissions by 2040. And that could get worse as Amazon and tech companies back the development of huge natural gas plants to support their power-hungry data centers. The Amazon spokesperson said, “The world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge,” while also claiming, “Our commitment hasn’t changed.” Topics AI, Amazon, Climate October 13 – 15 San Francisco Scale faster. Grow your portfolio. Gain practical expertise. No matter your goal, Disrupt can empower you.Save up to $300 today! REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news Related Climate SpaceX’s Terafab will rely on natural gas power plants, not Tesla solar panels Tim De Chant 2 days ago AI Investors love AI, as long as you’re a cloud host Russell Brandom Jul 30, 2026 TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 TechCrunch Disrupt 2026’s biggest stage features leaders from Amazon, Replit, Tether, with much more to come TechCrunch Events Jul 30, 2026 Latest in AI In Brief Planned Amazon data center could become the biggest climate polluter in the U.S. Anthony Ha 8 hours ago In Brief OpenAI acquires presentation startup NextSlide Anthony Ha 9 hours ago AI OpenAI says it slowed Astra model development over security concerns Kirsten Korosec 1 day agoSource: TechCrunch — Published — Category: Business