US gas plant plans jump 44% in just 8 months – here’s why

Power companies across the US are planning a lot more natural gas plants, mostly to feed the electricity demand from data centers. A new analysis from Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group finds planned gas capacity has jumped 44% since December 2025, reaching 60.4 gigawatts through 2030. At the same time, planned wind power has dropped nearly 34%, and solar plans have stalled, even though solar still leads overall. The groups warn that clean energy additions aren't keeping pace with the gas buildout tied to data centers.

Texas accounts for about a third of the planned new gas capacity, which would grow the state's gas generation by almost 25%. Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Mississippi round out the top five states, together making up about 60% of the national total. The count doesn't even include off-grid gas plants built to power data centers directly, which could add tens of gigawatts more.

The concern raised isn't just climate, but immediate health effects. Gas plants produce pollution linked to soot and ground-level ozone, plus methane leaks during production. Researchers cited in the analysis estimate nearly 600,000 asthma symptom cases and about 1,300 premature deaths in 2028 under a high-growth scenario for data centers, counting pollution from gas power plants, on-site turbines, and backup diesel generators. Because gas plants typically run for decades, the buildout now could shape the makeup of the US power grid, and the pollution that comes with it, well into the future.