PENNSYLVANIA — The Environmental Integrity Project released a report titled "The Power Behind AI" that identifies 74 natural gas-fired power plants planned across the U.S. to supply artificial intelligence data centers. Seven of these plants are planned for Pennsylvania, where data center developers intend to rely on them.

The report focuses on power plants capable of generating 100 megawatts or more. Of the 74 planned facilities, 71 are newly built and three are expansions. These plants are described as "behind-the-meter" facilities, meaning they are designed to supply electricity directly to data centers rather than to the general grid. Nationally, these 74 plants would collectively generate about 143 gigawatts of electricity and produce 662 million tons of greenhouse gases annually. This amount is comparable to Australia's annual emissions or adding 140 million cars and trucks to the road.

In Pennsylvania, the seven planned natural gas-fired power plants would produce approximately 14 gigawatts of power. Their combined emissions are projected to reach about 68 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually, representing a 24 percent increase in Pennsylvania's 2022 emissions. This level of emissions is equivalent to adding 14 million cars to the road each year.

Almost half of the plants identified in the report are planned for Texas, with 32 facilities. These proposed Texas facilities could emit over 287 million tons of greenhouse gases annually, equivalent to 61 million gasoline-powered cars driving for a year. The 32 proposed Texas plants could also emit more than 14,000 tons of fine particulate matter and over 20,000 tons of nitrogen oxides if operating at maximum capacity. The largest concentration of proposed power plants is in West Texas.

Jen Duggan, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project, stated, "Investments in artificial intelligence are driving the construction of a huge wave of data centers and dirty gas power plants across the U.S." She noted that almost 90 percent of the planned power plants are located in counties where life expectancy is below the national average of 77 years. Duggan added, "Adding more air pollutants and particulate matter from these plants could worsen these health disparities."

The Homer City Generating Station, a former coal-fired plant east of Pittsburgh, closed in 2023. The report identifies its planned conversion to natural gas as the largest behind-the-meter power plant in Pennsylvania, capable of creating up to 4.7 GW of power. If fully converted, it would emit over 17.5 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually. Another planned plant at Shippingport in Beaver County is projected to emit 21.1 million tons of greenhouse gases annually. Alex Bomstein, executive director of the Clean Air Council, stated that the proposed Homer City plant, if fully built, would be the largest single pollution source in Pennsylvania. Bomstein also stated that the fracked gas required to operate the Homer City plant would necessitate drilling 250 new wells about every five years.