AI Companies Are Building Huge Natural Gas Plants to Power Data Centers. What Could Go Wrong?
AI companies are racing to build natural gas power plants for data centers. Here is why that bet could backfire — and who pays the price.
Matilda
AI Companies Are Building Huge Natural Gas Plants to Power Data Centers. What Could Go Wrong?
Natural Gas & AI Data Centers: A Risky Billion-Dollar Bet The artificial intelligence boom is hungry — and it is eating natural gas at a scale that should make everyone pay attention. Right now, some of the most powerful technology companies in the world are locking down natural gas supplies and building massive power plants to feed their data centers. It is a race driven by fear of missing out, and the consequences could ripple far beyond Silicon Valley boardrooms. Why AI Companies Are Going All-In on Natural Gas The numbers are staggering. One major tech company is working with energy partners to build a natural gas power plant in West Texas with the potential to generate 5 gigawatts of electricity. Another has confirmed a nearly 933-megawatt natural gas facility in North Texas. A third tech giant is adding seven additional natural gas power plants to a single data center campus in Louisiana — pushing that site's total capacity to 7.46 gigawatts. To put that in perspective, tha…