To fuel its new West Texas data center, Amazon is investing in a massive new gas-burning plant that could be the largest single producer of greenhouse gases in the US. The site in Pecos County, Texas, has been granted permission to release up to 33 million tons of CO2 annually—more than even the biggest coal plants.

Amazon confirmed its purchase of the site and plans to buy power from it. This move comes as many tech giants are turning to non-renewable energy sources due to growing demand for AI data centers, with restrictions on such polluting plants being relaxed under the Trump administration.

Emissions have been rising steadily at Amazon despite Jeff Bezos’ pledge to make his company carbon neutral by 2040. A spokeswoman said: 'The world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge, but our commitment hasn’t changed.' This statement rings hollow given the scale of potential emissions from this new plant.

The GW Ranch site could emit a significant portion of the greenhouse gases it’s permitted to, marking a setback for Amazon's Climate Pledge. If even a fraction of that limit is reached, it will challenge Amazon’s sustainability claims and highlight the broader issues with tech companies relying on fossil fuels.