Comment Re:But..... (Score 2) 40
That's not universally true. For instance OpenAI is pushing for a massive new AI system in New Mexico called Project Jupiter. They plan to use natural gas for power and want a waiver from the state so they *don't* have to abide by the states requirements for clean power that applies to metered natural gas power plants.
Quoting from: https://sourcenm.com/2025/12/0...
Each notice corresponds to a different “microgrid” natural gas generating station planned for the project. Combined, the notices say the gas plants will emit more than 14 million tons of greenhouse gases per year.
By comparison, Albuquerque and Las Cruces, the state’s two largest cities, emit a combined 6.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gases per year, according to both cities’ climate action plans. The defunct San Juan Generating Station near Farmington emitted 12 to 13 million metric tons per year and PNM’s entire system emits about 1.8 million metric tons
They've subsequently claimed their notices were incorrect and it's *only* 4 million metric tons. It would be a huge mistake to assume that just because some high profile systems have used solar or nuclear that all proposed systems will. AI data centers are focusing hard on building it as cheaply as possible, their choice of green power is driven by local mandates, not altruism.