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US leads record global surge in gas-fired power driven by AI demands, with big costs for the climate
(www.theguardian.com)
Several countries around the world are betting big on gas, according to GEM’s tracker, which tallies projects that have been announced or are at various stages of construction. Last year, China, the world’s largest carbon emitter, installed 22.4GW of gas, its most gas capacity ever for single year.
But it is the US that is leading the way, accounting for nearly a quarter of all global gas capacity in development, followed by China, Vietnam, Iraq and Brazil. Texas is the center of this boom in the US, with 57.9GW of new gas power under way last year, leading Louisiana and Pennsylvania. In 2026, new gas additions are set to surpass the annual record of 100GW of new gas added in the US, set in 2002.