Texas data centers could wipe out decades of air quality gains: HARC

Texas has become the leading data center market in the U.S. by power capacity, with 26 gigawatts of existing and under-construction projects. A separate Wood Mackenzie report published in March found the state is also bracing for four times more proposed data center capacity running on power generated onsite than any other state. That distinction matters because HARC modeled different outcomes based on three projections for data center energy demand, and the choices developers make about power sourcing swing the pollution result widely. Pairing grid power with onsite solar and wind could cut NOx emissions up to 10 times lower, but building gas engines onsite to avoid long grid-connection wait times could produce the highest pollution levels possible. John Hall, HARC's CEO, said the transportation sector, the state, and other stakeholders have worked for decades to bring emissions numbers down, and that progress is now at risk.