Amazon backs power plant that may become top US climate polluter

A natural gas-fired power plant in Texas, intended to power Amazon's growing artificial intelligence operations, may become the United States' single largest source of climate pollution, The New York Times has reported.

Such gas-burning plants are increasingly being linked to data center projects. They produce harmful pollutants that can accelerate climate change impacts and negatively affect public health, contributing to conditions such as asthma, heart disease, lung cancer, and strokes.

The development follows controversy surrounding Elon Musk's xAI, which began using gas turbines to power its largest AI data center, Colossus, last spring. Public backlash has targeted off-grid data centers like the one Amazon is building. While some communities are demanding more stringent environmental reviews, a previous administration favored fast-tracking that could bypass permitting processes.

The facility is expected to meet the energy demands of Amazon Web Services as its AI workloads continue to expand.