The explosion of data center development across the U.S. to serve the artificial intelligence industry is threatening decades of progress cutting greenhouse gas emissions, as utilities lay plans for scores of new gas power plants to meet soaring electricity demand, the Washington Post reports.
While wind and solar projects are rapidly coming online, experts say the energy demand from data centers that are needed for AI is growing much faster.
President Joe Biden vowed to eliminate all power grid emissions by 2035 as part of a pledge to cut total greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of the decade, compared to 2005 levels.
But there are 220 new, gas-burning power plants in various stages of development nationwide, according to the market data firm Yes Energy, and most of those plants are targeted to come online before 2032. Each plant has a lifespan of 25 to 40 years, meaning most would not be fully paid off—much less shut down—before federal and state target dates for transitioning power grids to cleaner electricity.
