AI data centres exploit Texas permit loopholes, constructing fossil-fuel power plants without public review

A Wired/Floodlight investigation published July 9 found that Texas data centres — including OpenAI's 1,100-acre Stargate campus, powered by a 360-megawatt onsite gas plant — have used minor air permit exemptions, normally reserved for dry cleaners and autobody shops, to avoid the environmental reviews and public notice required for major emissions sources. With 300 data centres already operating and 200 more in development, Texas could surpass Virginia as the US's largest data centre market by 2030, and researchers warn of a growing 'shadow grid' of custom fossil-fuel plants fuelling the AI boom.