US building twice as much gas-fired capacity as China in AI boom, analysis finds

When adding announced and pre-construction projects, the US is building nearly three times as much as its fellow global economic powerhouse. When adding announced and pre-construction projects, the US is building nearly three times as much as its fellow global economic powerhouse. There has been a 76% increase in under-construction gas-fired projects amid'frenzy' to build more datacenters Tue 25 Aug 2026 06.00 EDTLast modified on Tue 25 Aug 2026 09.12 EDT The US has surged ahead of China in the building of new gas-fired power generation, largely to feed a boom in artificial intelligence (AI) that is adding vast amounts of planet-heating emissions, a new analysis has found. For decades, China's rapid economic growth has seen it outpace the US in the addition of new gas power generation but a recent "frenzy" in datacenter construction for AI has reversed this, said Global Energy Monitor (Gem) in its new report. The US is now building twice as much gas-fired capacity as China, and more than any other country in the world, after a stunning 76% increase in under-construction projects in the first half of this year.