US Leads Record Surge in Gas-Fired Power Generation as AI Demand Soars Amid Climate Concerns.
The United States has seen a massive surge in new gas-fired power generation, with the country leading the global push for fossil fuels set to escalate over the next five years. According to a report by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), this year will shatter the annual record for new gas power additions worldwide, with projects in development expected to grow existing global gas capacity by nearly 50%.
The growth of gas-fired power is largely driven by the expansion of energy-hungry datacenters to service artificial intelligence. The US is at the forefront of this trend, tripling its planned gas-fired capacity in 2025, with much of this new capacity set to be devoted to powering datacenters. In fact, a third of the 252 gigawatts of gas power in development will sit on site at these facilities.
However, the environmental impact of this surge in gas-fired power is alarming. If all planned projects are completed, they will emit an estimated 53.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide over their lifetimes, pushing the planet towards even worse heatwaves, droughts, floods, and other climate impacts. This equates to double the current annual emissions from all sources in the US.
Experts warn that this trend is a hard-wired gamble on decades of pollution, which could be solved with flexible, clean power. "As the AI bubble inflates, the US must decide whether it will double down on a fossil future while the rest of the world pivots to renewables," said Jenny Martos, project manager at GEM's oil and gas plant tracker.
The datacenter juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down, with plans for massive infrastructure like tech giant Meta's $1.5 billion datacenter in El Paso, Texas, set to power its operations on fossil fuels. Meanwhile, a shuttered coal plant in western Pennsylvania is set to be resurrected as the largest gas-fired facility in the US to serve a datacenter campus, sparking outrage among local residents.
As the climate crisis deepens, it remains to be seen whether governments and corporations will heed the warnings of scientists and take bold action to transition away from fossil fuels. For now, the record surge in gas-fired power generation serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions.
The United States has seen a massive surge in new gas-fired power generation, with the country leading the global push for fossil fuels set to escalate over the next five years. According to a report by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), this year will shatter the annual record for new gas power additions worldwide, with projects in development expected to grow existing global gas capacity by nearly 50%.
The growth of gas-fired power is largely driven by the expansion of energy-hungry datacenters to service artificial intelligence. The US is at the forefront of this trend, tripling its planned gas-fired capacity in 2025, with much of this new capacity set to be devoted to powering datacenters. In fact, a third of the 252 gigawatts of gas power in development will sit on site at these facilities.
However, the environmental impact of this surge in gas-fired power is alarming. If all planned projects are completed, they will emit an estimated 53.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide over their lifetimes, pushing the planet towards even worse heatwaves, droughts, floods, and other climate impacts. This equates to double the current annual emissions from all sources in the US.
Experts warn that this trend is a hard-wired gamble on decades of pollution, which could be solved with flexible, clean power. "As the AI bubble inflates, the US must decide whether it will double down on a fossil future while the rest of the world pivots to renewables," said Jenny Martos, project manager at GEM's oil and gas plant tracker.
The datacenter juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down, with plans for massive infrastructure like tech giant Meta's $1.5 billion datacenter in El Paso, Texas, set to power its operations on fossil fuels. Meanwhile, a shuttered coal plant in western Pennsylvania is set to be resurrected as the largest gas-fired facility in the US to serve a datacenter campus, sparking outrage among local residents.
As the climate crisis deepens, it remains to be seen whether governments and corporations will heed the warnings of scientists and take bold action to transition away from fossil fuels. For now, the record surge in gas-fired power generation serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions.
like we're really going to power our datacenters on fossil fuels?? 200gigawatts worth? that's insane! and then there's the environmental impact... 53.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide? we can't even imagine what kind of damage that will cause in the next few decades. i'm all for innovation but is this really worth it? shouldn't we be investing in renewable energy instead? i mean, i love tech and datacenters as much as the next person but not at the expense of our planet 
50% of new global gas capacity is going towards powering datacenters... 
is that really what we want? I mean, we're already seeing the effects of climate change and now we're just gonna keep pumping out more CO2 
. Can't we just invest in clean energy instead? 
It's like, we know the risks, but are we really willing to take a gamble on decades of pollution for the sake of growth? 
50% increase in gas power is crazy, think about the planet 
, i hope they'll listen to the experts and make a change soon.
. I mean, $1.5 billion for one datacenter? Are they really that desperate to keep their servers running hot? 
. And what about the people living near these power plants? They're just getting screwed over 
.
we can't keep relying on gas power it's going to kill us if not done now. AI is supposed to be the future but only if its powered by clean energy
and nobody's putting out the flames. What's going on, guys? Can't we just switch to renewable energy already? 
It's like we're not even trying anymore 
. The fact that a third of the new gas power is just going to be used by these datacenters is just mind-boggling 
.
by this news! all that carbon dioxide emission is just crazy. i mean i get why datacenters are growing fast with AI and all, but can't we find a way to make it clean? 
. We're still talking about a major surge in emissions here (53.2 billion tonnes!), which is basically double the current US annual emissions 
, and all these governments and corporations are just sorta... sitting around waiting for someone else to make a move 
. Meanwhile, scientists are screaming at us from the rooftops about the need for bold action 
.
. Otherwise, I'm afraid the planet's gonna be paying the price 
.
man it's wild how us is just doubling down on fossil fuels like that... i get why datacenters need power and all but come on 53.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide? that's insane 
And for all this, we get to pay with our health and future. It's just not fair 
it's like jenny martos said "flexible clean power" sounds so much more appealing than this gas guzzler situation 
The fact that US is leading the push for fossil fuels amidst climate concerns is kinda worrying 
. What's gonna happen when other countries start shifting towards renewables and the US is still stuck on fossil fuels? 