Overview
- Amazon confirmed Friday that it is financially backing the GW Ranch project in Pecos County and has filed construction permits for a new data-center campus at the site.
- State documents authorize a 7.65 gigawatt plant with 35 gas turbines and permit about 33 million metric tons of CO2 annually, a level larger than any single current U.S. power-plant permit.
- Amazon says the campus will run initially on behind-the-meter on-site generation, is designed to move to grid service when interconnection allows, and is exploring on-site solar, 1.8 GW of battery storage, and use of non-potable brackish groundwater.
- Local and state officials have stepped up scrutiny and paused some data-center approvals as residents raise concerns about air pollution, water use, electricity rates, and job claims tied to the project.
- The build fits a wider industry trend of hyperscalers using private generation to avoid long utility queues, a move that boosts demand for gas, turbines, batteries, and solar and raises questions about corporate net-zero pledges.