“Bring your own power” deals for AI data centers will lead to a massive gas usage that poses serious risks to communities and the environment, a new report released by Earthjustice and the Better Data Center Project, a technical assistance provider for communities, say.
While the president, governors, lawmakers, and regulators are increasingly encouraging and incentivizing AI data centers to provide their own power generation, the report reveals that this so called “solution” will significantly increase pollution and costs for decades.
“Our research is clear: BYOP (bring your own power) is not the answer that state and federal leaders are claiming it to be,” Mandy DeRoche, director of emerging issues for Earthjustice, an environmental group, said in a statement. “The world’s wealthiest tech companies should not be building dirty, behind-the-meter gas projects, creating a shadow grid that’s causing even greater risks to communities and the climate.”
DeRoche said proposals for AI data centers – which mostly rely on polluting gas instead of cleaner and cheaper energy sources – won’t protect communities from the effects of AI data centers’ huge energy demand.
The analysis finds that:
- Bring your own power is driving a massive, rapid buildout of mostly dirty gas plants: 80 percent of proposed energy generation from bring your own power projects over the next five years – enough to power 65 percent of U.S. homes – will come from gas, rather than the renewables companies have committed to.
- If built, nine proposed gas bring your own power projects will be among the top 10 largest power plants in the United States.
- Ozone and particulate matter pollution from bring your own power projects could cause an estimated $5 to $10 billion in health damages each year.
- The types of gas generators proposed for bring your own power gas projects would use less efficient and more polluting gas generators than typical gas power plants.
- Most bring your own power projects are expected to seek grid connection eventually despite evading regulations and safeguards today.
- Developers “segment” projects into separate permit applications to avoid more stringent environmental review.
- Despite being posed as an affordability solution, bring your own power can still have significant cost impacts.
- These so-called “privately powered” bring your own power projects are subsidized by the public – receiving tax breaks, property abatements, and expedited regulatory treatment.
Texas, Pennsylvania, and Ohio are among the top five states with the most proposed bring your own power capacity in the country. The report outlines not only the impacts and scale of these projects, but how Big Tech operates outside of and is taking advantage of weakened regulations to build faster.
“Bring Your Own Power is a tool sought by developers to build AI data centers as fast as possible – while local communities, ratepayers, and our planet pay the costs,” Catherine Casomar, co-founder of the Better Data Center Project, said.
Casomar said 177 GW of planned gas for bring your own power for data centers is enough to power 65 percent of all U.S. homes.
“With over half of this disclosed gas capacity using inefficient and more polluting technologies, these projects could cause up to $10 billion a year in health damages,” she said. “Addressing AI’s demand for power requires stronger local, state, and federal policies and oversight – yet the majority of recent policies weaken oversight designed to protect water, air, people, and the climate.”
Photo: Visitor7
