Texas’ environmental regulator has approved the largest air pollution permit in the U.S. for a massive planned complex of gas power plants and data centers near the Permian Basin oilfields, announced by the project’s developers.
Pacifico Energy, an international investor-owned infrastructure firm, described its 7.65 gigawatt GW Ranch in Pecos County as “the largest power project in the United States” in a press release.
This venture is part of several large-scale projects announced in 2025, positioning Texas as a key hub for gas power expansion, according to data released by Global Energy Monitor (GEM).
“Massive fossil fuel infrastructure is being developed to meet speculative AI demand,” stated Jenny Martos, project manager for GEM’s Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker.
Developer Fermi America applied for air permits for 6 GW of gas power for data centers near Amarillo. Chevron announced a power plant to produce up to 5 GW of energy for AI in West Texas.
These projects contribute to a 58 GW increase in Texas gas power development capacity in 2025, surpassing California’s peak power demand.
Only China has more gas power projects in development than Texas, with nearly half of Texas projects, totaling 40 GW, planned to power data centers, GEM stated.
“An explosion of these projects is happening,” said Griffin Bird, a research analyst at the Environmental Integrity Project. “Keeping up with new projects is challenging.”
Proposed facilities in north and west Texas could become major global emissions sources if fully developed, Bird noted.
Pacifico’s GW Ranch in Pecos County is authorized to release over 12,000 tons of regulated air pollutants annually, including soot, ammonia, and carbon monoxide, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) permit documents.
The site may emit up to 33 million tons of greenhouse gases yearly, nearly 5% of Canada’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions.
Fermi America’s Project Matador could release 24 million tons of greenhouse gases annually.
“I’d be hard-pressed to think of a bigger emitter,” Bird commented.
Many gas power projects for data centers with up to 500 MW capacity have quickly received TCEQ permits, Bird stated.
Misae Gas Power applied for permits for 206 gas generators totaling 519 MW outside San Antonio. TCEQ granted the permit on Jan. 14, authorizing emissions including 133 tons of particulate matter and 10 tons of formaldehyde annually.
TCEQ did not respond to a comment request.
In Blue, Texas, TCEQ issued a permit in October for the 1.2 GW Sandow Lakes Power Plant near North America’s largest Bitcoin mining facility.
Neighbors in Blue formed Move the Gas Plant seeking a hearing on the air pollution permit that authorizes nearly 18 tons of hazardous air pollutants annually. TCEQ denied the request and issued the permit.
“It took them just 45 seconds to deny our hearing request,” said Travis Brown of Move the Gas Plant. “There was minimal discussion.”
Sandow began construction shortly after the permit issuance, clearing land and installing infrastructure.
Texas has 11 gas power projects under construction and 102 in preconstruction, seeking land, permits, and contracts. An additional 28 projects have been announced.
If completed, these projects would double Texas’ current gas power capacity. Pacifico’s GW Ranch could consume 1 to 2 billion cubic feet of gas daily, representing 4 to 7% of 2025 Permian Basin production, according to Gabriel Collins at Rice University’s Baker Institute.
“Even for the Permian, that’s substantial,” Collins noted.
Not all announced projects will be built, as some oversell their capabilities, Collins added.
Projects that proceed will come online gradually, in 100 MW increments, over several years, potentially not reaching full capacity.
“Even a fraction of the permitted capacity would be significant,” Collins concluded.
Original Story at insideclimatenews.org