Doomsday Draws Nearer Due to 'Treasure Trove' Project in America

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Thousands of new data centres are being built in the United States to meet the demands of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing. However, behind this surge lies a major environmental threat that could accelerate global climate ‘doomsday’. A Wired report reveals that more than 3,000 new data centres are being proposed or constructed in the US. Of these, just 11 facilities are estimated to produce over 129 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year. This emissions spike stems from the use of gas-fired power plants built specifically to supply the data centres. Many projects employ a “behind-the-meter” system, where power plants supply electricity only to the data centres without connecting to the public grid. Citing Gizmodo, this scheme is gaining popularity because the main power grid is deemed unable to handle the surge in energy demand from data centres. Moreover, local communities often oppose the presence of large tech companies, which they believe could raise electricity tariffs. This situation drives the construction of new power plants near data centres. However, to expedite development, many projects opt for gas fuel, which is quicker to build but produces high emissions. This phenomenon is even described as a resurgence of gas energy. Several major projects are expected to contribute significant emissions. One such is Microsoft’s data centre project in Texas, which could generate 11.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year. Meanwhile, the Stargate project in Texas and New Mexico is estimated to produce more than 24 million tonnes of CO2 annually. Nevertheless, these figures represent emission permit limits, not actual emissions. However, data centres tend to operate near maximum capacity due to rising computing demands. There are even cases of unauthorised methane gas turbine use at xAI’s Colossus data centre in Tennessee. On the other hand, US natural gas consumption is also set to hit a new record in 2025. Global Energy Monitor notes that the US now surpasses China as the world’s largest developer of new gas projects. This surge aligns with the massive scale of data centre construction. Ironically, tech companies that previously committed to net-zero carbon emissions are now the primary drivers of increased emissions.