While nuclear energy is often presented as the potential "clean" solution for powering the massive number of US data centers currently under construction, the reality is that less sustainable solutions are being used to bridge the gap. Recent investigations into gas power projects linked to 11 specific US data center campuses reveal a staggering environmental impact. According to reports, these facilities have the potential to emit more greenhouse gases than the entire country of Morocco in 2024.
Massive Emissions from Data Center Gas Power Projects
These gas-driven initiatives are being developed as part of an effort to provide power solely for data center usage, effectively bypassing the traditional electrical grid. Because these projects have either been announced or are currently under construction, they have required the submission of publicly viewable air permits to various US state agencies.
The scale of the potential environmental impact is significant:
- Microsoft: The company is reportedly looking into purchasing power from a Chevron-backed project in West Texas. According to its permit, this project could emit more than 11.5 million tons of greenhouse gases annually—more than the yearly emissions of Jamaica.
- xAI: The Colossus campus in Memphis and the nearby Colossus 2 campus in Southaven could each potentially generate more than 6.4 million tons of CO2 equivalents per year. This is roughly equivalent to the output of 30 average-sized natural gas plants.
- Stargate Project: An OpenAI-led multi-company venture involving several US states shows that just three affiliated projects could emit a combined total of over 24 million tons of greenhouse gases in a single year. This figure exceeds that of Costa Rica and is slightly less than the emissions of Croatia.
Evaluating the True Environmental Impact
Wired’s estimates are based on the maximum listed emissions found in permit documents, meaning there is hope that these projects may not hit such extreme figures in practice. For instance, running a plant continuously at full capacity would be highly unusual for a standard, grid-connected power plant.
Alex Schott, the director of communications for an oil and gas company building three power plants for Meta, told reporters that these estimates represent a "theoretical, conservative scenario, not the actual projected emissions." He noted that actual figures could potentially be two-thirds less than what is documented on paper.
However, even if total emissions ended up being only half of the maximum figures shown on the permits, the combined infrastructure from just these 11 examples would still create more greenhouse gas emissions in a single year than Norway did in 2024.
The Challenges of Transitioning to Clean Energy
Energy researcher Jon Koomey noted that data center-specific plants may behave differently than traditional utility plants. A permit application submitted in November highlights that while traditional plants must respond to the constantly varying demands of a grid, power requirements at a data center do not vary significantly. Furthermore, because highly efficient gas turbines are in short supply due to the AI boom, some developers may be forced to use less efficient models that run longer and produce more emissions.
While many companies describe these gas power projects as a temporary stopgap until clean power catches up, it seems unlikely that all these facilities will be retired once cleaner energy becomes available. Even with US President Donald Trump signing an executive order to accelerate nuclear power plant construction, the infrastructure may remain.
There are still some reasons for optimism. Air permit applications do not guarantee that construction will occur. Additionally, global supply chain instabilities regarding AI-related equipment could eventually slow data center growth enough for clean energy to bridge the gap.
Still, the current trajectory is sobering. As Michael Thomas, the founder of energy research firm Cleanview, puts it: "It's almost like we thought we were on the downside of the industrial revolution, retiring coal and gas, and now we have a new hump where we're going to rise. That terrifies me in a lot of ways."
