"The US is now leading a global surge in new gas power plants being built in large part to satisfy growing energy demand for data centers. And more gas means more planet-heating pollution. Gas-fired power generation in development globally rose by 31 percent in 2025. Almost a quarter of that added capacity is slated for the US, which has surpassed China with the biggest increase of any country."
"The rush to install more powerful hardware into expanding data centers used for generative AI has led to forecasts of skyrocketing power demand. There's still a lot of uncertainty about whether AI will become as ingrained in everyday life as tech companies might like, and many proposed data centers could fall flat. Even so, plans to build out more gas plants in the name of AI are stalling efforts to transition to cleaner energy sources."
Global gas-fired power generation projects rose 31 percent in 2025, with nearly a quarter of added capacity planned for the United States. More than a third of U.S. growth is expected to directly power data centers. The installation of more powerful hardware for generative AI has produced forecasts of sharply rising electricity demand, while substantial uncertainty remains about long-term AI adoption and whether many proposed data centers will be realized. Building new gas plants to serve anticipated AI loads risks locking in future emissions and creating stranded assets if demand does not materialize. Gas burns cleaner than coal but methane emissions increase climate impact.
Read at The Verge
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