en.Wedoany.com Reported - A report released Wednesday by the Environmental Integrity Project shows that greenhouse gas emissions from planned gas power plants in the United States, designed to directly supply data centers, could rival the annual emissions of major economies such as Australia or France. The report reviewed 74 proposed or planned gas power plant projects nationwide, specifically designed for direct data center power supply, with a total planned capacity of 143 gigawatts, potentially generating 662 million tons of greenhouse gases annually.
These projects are off-grid and not connected to the U.S. public power grid. Interviews by Reuters with regulatory documents, government officials, residents, researchers, and corporate executives revealed that these "behind-the-meter" power projects are being approved across the U.S. through fast-track processes, often kept confidential, to meet the tech industry's surging demand for data center electricity.
By bypassing federal regulations faced by large projects requiring grid connection, these projects advance rapidly, sometimes taking only weeks or months, without the typical multi-year permitting, environmental studies, and public hearing processes. Developers argue that such off-grid plants serving private clients are not subject to many existing rules.
The Environmental Integrity Project report indicates that the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions from these plants could reach the annual emission levels of major economies like France or Australia. Additionally, the release of harmful pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and benzene poses public health risks to nearby residents.
"The industries of the future should not be shackled to the dirty fuels of the past and the air pollution from fossil fuels that has genuinely harmed communities," said Jen Duggan, Executive Director of the Environmental Integrity Project.
Nearly half of the 74 plants are located in Texas; followed by gas-producing states Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, with 10, 6, and 4 planned off-grid plants respectively.
Trump administration officials continue to call for accelerating data center construction and taking measures to reduce construction and power supply barriers, viewing it as a national security and economic priority. Lee Zeldin, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), told reporters on Tuesday: "Many Americans would agree that in the race to become the world's artificial intelligence capital, we must defeat China."
A poll released last month by Ipsos showed that only one-third of Americans favor the fast pace of data center construction; the issue has become a focus of voters and political campaigns ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
