Natural gas developers have proposed 44.9 gigawatts of new power plants in the US, a buildout so large it dwarfs the 12.7 GW of older plants expected to retire by late 2028. The driving force behind this fossil fuel renaissance isn’t seasonal heating demand or industrial expansion. It’s artificial intelligence.
According to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, of the 44.9 GW filed, 22.7 GW is deemed high-probability additions, meaning these aren’t just speculative permits gathering dust.
AI’s insatiable appetite for power
Global Energy Monitor data shows nearly 100 GW of behind-the-meter natural gas projects specifically for data centers are now in the US development pipeline as of early 2026. For context, that figure was just 4 GW in early 2024. A 25x increase in roughly two years.
Behind-the-meter means these aren’t plants feeding into the general grid. They’re dedicated power sources built specifically to serve individual facilities.
