--- title: "Amazon plans to build a large self-supplied natural gas power plant in Texas, raising public concerns about energy consumption and carbon emissions" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/295316204.md" description: "Amazon has confirmed the construction of a large data center and a supporting off-grid natural gas power plant in Pecos County, Texas. The power plant has a total generation capacity of 7.65 gigawatts, with an annual carbon dioxide emission cap of 33 million tons, making it the largest single power generation facility in the U.S. in terms of carbon emissions. This move has raised concerns from environmental organizations regarding air quality and public health, highlighting the conflict between high energy consumption brought about by AI development and emission reduction targets" datetime: "2026-08-09T06:38:35.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/295316204.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295316204.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/295316204.md) --- # Amazon plans to build a large self-supplied natural gas power plant in Texas, raising public concerns about energy consumption and carbon emissions Amazon has confirmed plans to build a large data center in Pecos County, Texas, along with an off-grid natural gas power plant. Relevant regulatory permit documents indicate that the power plant has been approved for an annual carbon dioxide emission limit of up to 33 million tons, which, if operated at maximum capacity, would become the largest single power generation facility in the U.S. in terms of carbon emissions, highlighting the stark conflict between the rapid development of artificial intelligence and energy conservation and emission reduction goals. With the explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the demand for computing power and electricity supply from tech companies has surged exponentially. To avoid the long approval cycles required for connecting to the public power grid, Amazon has chosen to build its own power plant directly next to the data center. Project permit documents show that the power plant plans to install 35 natural gas turbines, with a total generation capacity of up to 7.65 gigawatts, and will not be connected to the public grid during its initial operation, exclusively supplying power to Amazon's data center. Regulatory approval records indicate that the annual carbon dioxide emission limit approved for this natural gas power plant significantly exceeds that of the current largest power facility in the U.S. — the James H. Miller Jr. coal power plant in Alabama (with an annual emission of about 16 million tons). Although the pollution level per unit of electricity generated from natural gas is lower than that of coal, the enormous scale of this project could exponentially increase its potential total carbon emissions. Environmental organizations warn that the pollutants released during the operation of the power plant will pose a direct threat to local air quality and public health. In recent years, Amazon has jointly initiated related climate initiatives, committing to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. However, driven by the soaring energy consumption of AI data centers, Amazon's greenhouse gas emissions have increased year after year. In response to external doubts, Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan stated that although the current environment differs from when the initiatives were launched, the company's commitment to emission reduction has not changed. Callahan emphasized that the self-built power plant will not raise electricity costs for Texas households, and the company is also exploring the possibility of incorporating solar and battery storage technologies into the project. Industry analysts point out that Amazon's move reflects a new wave of "off-grid fossil fuel power generation" in the U.S. tech industry to meet AI computing demands. Meanwhile, the current U.S. government continues to implement an "energy dominance" policy, encouraging the development of oil, gas, and fossil energy, and accelerating the approval process for data centers and supporting energy facilities through executive orders. The environmental organization "Public Citizen" warns that the concentration of such large-scale fossil energy projects will have far-reaching negative impacts on regional ecological environments and climate response processes ### Related Stocks - [AMZN.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZN.US.md) - [AMZD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZD.US.md) - [AMZZ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZZ.US.md) - [AMZU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZU.US.md) - [AMZW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZW.US.md) - [AMZG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZG.US.md) - [AMZO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZO.US.md) - [AMZY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZY.US.md) - [AZYY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AZYY.US.md) - [AMZP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZP.US.md) - [MAGX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MAGX.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Amazon Executive Chair Jeff Bezos sells 1,209,649 shares for $346.44 million](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295011648.md) - [Amazon customers are embracing Alexa for Shopping](https://longbridge.com/en/news/294848428.md) - [Trotz wirtschaftlich anspruchsvollen Umfelds bauen Schweizer KMU ihr Exportgeschäft auf Amazon weiter aus](https://longbridge.com/en/news/294936357.md) - [POSe Modernized Core Applications Six Months Ahead of Schedule Using Kiro](https://longbridge.com/en/news/295087896.md) - [Amazon to add supply chain facilities in New York, Texas](https://longbridge.com/en/news/294834446.md)