Amazon has acquired land and permits in Pecos County, Texas, to build a data center campus powered by a 7.65 gigawatt gas power plant, according to reporting by the Distilled newsletter. The facility, known as GW Ranch, would operate independently from Texas’s power grid initially.
According to state permits, the proposed power plant would be authorized to emit 33 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, making it the largest single pollution source in the United States—exceeding emissions from the country’s largest coal power plant, according to Distilled. The development presents a notable contrast to Amazon’s Climate Pledge commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.
Amazon has already filed three construction permits with Texas this week for data center buildings and has begun land clearing, as evidenced by satellite imagery. The company joins Microsoft, Google, and Meta in developing off-grid gas power infrastructure for its data center operations.
Amazon stated that it operates 10 gigawatts of carbon-free energy capacity across 40 projects powering existing Texas data centers. The company also noted that GW Ranch would use brackish groundwater unsuitable for drinking or irrigation, positioning the water usage as environmentally benign.
However, data centers face significant public opposition across the country among both Republicans and Democrats in rural and suburban communities. According to the source text, these facilities create few jobs, provide minimal local economic benefits, and can increase utility rates and cause power disruptions when connected to local grids. During periods of climate change and drought, claims about using only unusable water may face public skepticism.
While Amazon’s plan to operate its own independent power plant may avoid some grid-related concerns, the project will likely generate opposition over emissions from a gas plant larger than any other in the U.S. The Distilled newsletter noted that rural Texas has strong Republican leanings, and opposition to data centers among conservative voters is growing despite other political support for such projects.
Key facts
- Amazon’s planned Texas data center would use a 7.65 gigawatt gas power plant authorized to emit 33 million tons of CO2 annually
- The facility would be the largest pollution source in the United States, exceeding the nation’s biggest coal plant
- The data center campus, called GW Ranch in Pecos County, would operate on off-grid power initially
- Amazon has already filed construction permits and begun land clearing
- Data centers face bipartisan opposition in rural and suburban areas due to limited job creation and utility rate concerns