According to the New York Times, Amazon is investing in an on-site power plant as part of a planned data center in Pecos County, Texas, which could become the nation’s largest source of climate pollution.
The power plant burns natural gas and is allowed to emit 33 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, more than any other power plant in the United States, according to the NYT.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed in a statement that the data center will be “powered by new private generation that will not increase the cost of electricity for Texas households.” (Data centers face increasing political opposition for a variety of reasons, including the impact on electricity bills.)
AI is already having a major impact on Amazon’s carbon footprint, with emissions reported to have increased by 16% last year, which is the wrong direction for a company that has vowed to reduce its carbon footprint to zero by 2040. And the situation could get even worse as Amazon and tech companies support the development of huge natural gas plants to support power-hungry data centers.
An Amazon spokesperson said that “the world looks different today than it did when we co-founded the Climate Pledge,” but insisted that “our commitment has not changed.”
