Betting big: Data centers — US now leads world in new gas power development

The United States now leads the world in gas-fired power capacity in development, with nearly 252 GW planned, driven significantly by the energy demands of AI and data centers. Globally, the pipeline for gas power grew by 31% in 2025 to 1,047 GW, though expansion is currently bottlenecked by turbine production backlogs stretching to 2030. Texas is the primary hub for this growth in the U.S., with 80.6 GW in development, nearly half of which is intended to power data centers directly.

• The United States has the highest amount of gas-fired power capacity in development globally, totaling almost 252 GW in 2025. This represents nearly one-quarter of the global total and would increase the existing U.S. gas fleet by nearly 50% at an estimated capital cost exceeding US$416 billion.
• Data centers and AI are primary drivers of the U.S. gas power expansion; more than one-third of the U.S. capacity in development is intended to power data centers on-site.
• Texas is the central location for U.S. gas power growth, with 80.6 GW in development—more than the next seven states combined. Approximately 40 GW of this capacity is planned for direct data center power.
• Global gas-fired power capacity in development rose 31% in 2025 to 1,047 GW. China recorded a record 22.4 GW of newly commissioned capacity in 2025 and leads the U.S. in capacity currently under construction with 30.9 GW.
• The expansion of global gas power is constrained by turbine supply, with manufacturer backlogs extending through 2030. GE Vernova, Siemens, and Mitsubishi control over 75% of the market for projects with a named manufacturer, while two-thirds of all projects in development lack a named manufacturer.

APA

Martos, J. (2026). Betting big: Data centers — US now leads world in new gas power development. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/betting-big-data-centers-us-now-leads-world-new-gas-power-development

Chicago

Martos, Jenny. Betting big: Data centers — US now leads world in new gas power development. Global Energy Monitor, 2026. https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/betting-big-data-centers-us-now-leads-world-new-gas-power-development.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Martos |first1=Jenny |title=Betting big: Data centers — US now leads world in new gas power development |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=29 January 2026 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/betting-big-data-centers-us-now-leads-world-new-gas-power-development |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{martos2026betting, author = {Martos, Jenny}, title = {{Betting big: Data centers — US now leads world in new gas power development}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2026}, month = jan, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/betting-big-data-centers-us-now-leads-world-new-gas-power-development}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }