Environmental Integrity Project, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, said Wednesday companies plan to build more than 100 new gas-fired power plants in Texas in the next five years to meet enormous electrical demand to support data centers for artificial intelligence, population growth and extreme weather. The list of plants is comprised of 108 proposed new gas plants and 17 expansions, including 4 currently under construction, 33 that have received permits but have not broken ground, and 98 proposed plants. More than 60 projects are scheduled for completion by yearend 2028.
ERCOT authorities expect statewide power demand to nearly double by 2030 driven largely by a proliferation of advanced computing facilities.
The projects would total 58,000 megawatts of new generation capacity – enough to power more than 8 million average American households. The Texas Tribune said, “Many likely won’t move past the planning stage.” The Tribune added the plants would also add an estimated 115 million metric tons of greenhouse gases every year to the atmosphere – as much as 26.8 million gasoline-powered cars.
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