A t least 74 natural gas-fired power plants are planned across the U.S. to provide energy for the rapidly-growing data center industry. These proposed gas plants, which would be dedicated to serving data centers, are expected to generate 143 gigawatts of electricity – enough to power the state of California nearly three times over. The plants would also release nearly 662 million tons per year of greenhouse gas pollution, which would have the climate-warming impact of 140 million cars and trucks driving for a year or the emissions from the entire nation of Australia. Beyond greenhouse gases, this wave of power plants for data centers could also release 159,142 tons of health-harming air pollutants, including 44,281 tons of nitrogen oxides that contribute to smog and lung damage and 32,684 tons of fine particulate matter, which can trigger heart and asthma attacks. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. This pollution is a small fraction of the likely environmental impact of the booming artificial intelligence (AI) industry and affiliated data centers. These 74 planned gas plants, including 71new power plants and three plant expansions, would be connected directly to data centers — so-called “behind-the-meter” power plants. These plants are designed to provide their electricity primarily to data centers and not to compete with local households and businesses on regional power grids. More power plants are being planned across the U.S. that will indirectly serve the growing data center industry along with other consumers on the grid, which will likely drive up electricity prices for nearby residents. Beyond the air and climate impacts from the gas-fired power plants discussed in this report, data centers also have diesel backup generators that release air pollution. The centers are also large consumers of water that are often built in water-stressed regions. In short, the economic and environmental ripple effects of the growing data center industry are far broader than what is discussed in this report. The wave of proposed data center projects is triggering protests in local communities and legislative efforts at the state and local level, including proposed moratoriums in a half-dozen states and bills in Congress that would put a pause on the industry. At the same time, President Trump’s Department of Justice is threatening to sue states that attempt to regulate data center growth and Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency is actively promoting the AI industry. Because soaring electricity rates caused by data centers are controversial, in March, President Trump called on data center developers to build power plants dedicated to their own projects as part of his “Ratepayer Protection Pledge.” The pledge is voluntary, so its impact is unclear. But even before the pledge, a growing number of data center companies started announcing that they would build their own dedicated or “behind-the-meter” power plants, many of which would be fueled by natural gas.
Fossil fuels should not power a technology of the future. While additional data centers may be needed to accommodate shifts in technology, they should be powered by clean energy, including solar farms and wind turbines with ample battery storage systems. At a minimum, developers of data centers and their gas power plants should be required to use modern and efficient technology that minimizes air pollution. For example, combined-cycle natural gas turbines that capture waste heat and recycle it are more efficient and less polluting than simple-cycle turbines. Companies should also be required to implement technologies that minimize water use for cooling and power generation, and these facilities should not be constructed in areas struggling with water shortages.
Moreover, governments at all levels must be transparent about the review and approval process for data centers and related power plants so that communities have a meaningful say in decisions that impact their health and wellbeing. Examples of communities fighting data centers and their power plants because of pollution and quality-of-life impacts in Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Mississippi can be found on pages 19 to 26 of this report.
Skepticism about the proposed wave of data centers and the dirty gas plants that will power them is warranted because of their range of potential impacts on the economy, environment, and public health. There is no justification for the government, at any level, to fast-track approvals of these projects or keep negotiations with industry secret. Transparency and accountability are necessary to prevent harm to local communities – including air pollution and excessive water consumption – and limit the potential damage of poorly-planned data centers on the climate, economy, and social well-being of communities across the U.S. A thoughtful, open, and deliberative review process should not be rushed or abandoned for data centers or their power plants in pursuit of AI supremacy or because of false claims from the Trump Administration about an “energy emergency” that creates a pretext for an avalanche of dirty power plants.