Texas Data Centers Fuel Surge in Gas Power Projects

A new report shows that all 12 of the largest gas power projects planned in Texas are intended to power data centers. These projects could emit over 100 million tons of greenhouse gases annually, equal to a mid-sized country. The surge in gas generation plans has grown 50% in six months.

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The Global Energy Monitor data reveals a striking imbalance in Texas's power landscape, with planned gas generation capacity of roughly 122 gigawatts now exceeding the state's 81.7 gigawatts of operating capacity. This rapid expansion is driven almost entirely by data center demand, and developers are adapting to supply chain constraints by choosing less efficient generating technologies that can be deployed more quickly than traditional combined-cycle plants.

Several individual projects illustrate the enormous scale involved. The GW Ranch Energy Center in Pecos County, recently acquired by Amazon, holds the nation's largest air pollution permit issued this year. Fermi America's Project Matador in the Panhandle, backed by former Governor Rick Perry, would install 90 turbines, while the Kilby Power Plant in West Texas mixes efficient and simpler turbine types to meet fluctuating data center power needs.