AI datacentres plan on-site power stations on huge scale despite climate risks, research reveals

The short version

AI datacentres in the US and Europe plan extensive on-site gas power stations, risking high emissions due to delayed grid connections.

Key takeaways

• 181GW of gas-fired capacity proposed for AI datacentres.
• Estimated emissions could reach 345 million metric tonnes annually.
• Faster connections to clean energy are crucial to limit emissions.
• Gas power stations may become permanent due to economic pressures.

Overall sentiment

The focus on gas power stations raises significant climate concerns and risks long-term emissions.

AI classification of the article’s tone. Coverage is limited to a summary of the article.

Sources cited by the article

• BloombergNEF ↗
• 31st UN climate summit ↗
• Gas ↗
• datacentre covenant ↗
• datacentres ↗
• datacentres ↗
• AI (artificial intelligence) ↗
• Europe ↗
• Energy ↗
• Datacenters – US ↗
• news ↗
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