"2025 was a banner year for gas-fired power plant development in the US, nonprofit energy project tracking firm Global Energy Monitor (GEM) said in its latest analysis issued on Wednesday. Gas-fired power plant projects in development in the US nearly tripled last year, per GEM's data, putting the US ahead of China and responsible for around a quarter of the global gas power pipeline."
"It's not exactly a close race, either. There are 251,737 megawatts of gas or oil fired plants (oil-fired plants are mainly located in Iraq and account for less than 3 percent of projects, GEM told us) in development in the US, in addition to 561,907 MW in operation. China, the second-ranking developer of natural gas and oil-fired power, is working on 153,406 MW of new projects, and has just 179,998 MW currently in use."
"If all the new projects in development end up being fired up, that'll equate to around 53.2 billion tonnes of lifetime CO₂ emissions, GEM global oil and gas plant tracking project manager Jenny Martos told The Register. 12.1 billion tonnes of that addition will come from US projects alone. For reference, the existing global fleet of gas and oil-fired power plants is estimated to account for 54.3 billion tonnes of lifetime emissions. That means datacenters and AI are going to be a significant contributor to the derailing of global plans to quash climate change, and could be for some time."
2025 saw a sharp surge in US gas-fired power plant development, nearly tripling and representing roughly a quarter of the global gas power pipeline. The US has 251,737 MW of gas or oil plants in development and 561,907 MW in operation, compared with China's 153,406 MW in development and 179,998 MW operational. More than a third of new US plants are directly linked to datacenter projects. If all projects proceed, they would produce about 53.2 billion tonnes of lifetime CO₂ emissions, with US additions contributing 12.1 billion tonnes, risking major setbacks for emissions reductions.
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