Electricity demand is expected to surge in Texas, with peak demand nearly doubling by 2034. The growth of data centers, which consume vast amounts of electricity, as well as record population growth, industrial electrification and buildout, and the impacts of extreme weather like Winter Storm Uri, have all contributed to Texas’ desire to urgently add new generating capacity.
To meet this growing electricity demand, Texas is prioritizing building more natural gas power plants over expanding its booming renewable energy and battery energy storage industries. In 2023, the state created the Texas Energy Fund, a taxpayer funded program that is designed to provide $10 billion of loans and grants to incentivize and improve electricity generation across Texas. Most of the funds—$7.2 billion—will be used to incentivize the construction of more natural gas power plants within the state’s main electrical grid, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
EIP created the inventory using information from the Energy Information Administration, Global Energy Monitor, Texas Energy Fund application documents, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), permit documents from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, news articles, and other public sources. The inventory contains details for each power plant project, including the proposed maximum generating capacity, location, type of generating equipment, estimated completion date, and information about Clean Air Act permits that authorize construction where available.
As of April 2025, the inventory provided information on 130 proposed gas power plant projects that could cumulatively add 58 gigawatts (GW) of natural gas generating capacity to the Texas grid. In total, 54 proposed projects have known locations and appear on the map. EIP estimates that, if all proposed gas power plant projects are built, they could emit approximately 115 million metric tons of greenhouse gases annually. Of the total greenhouse gas emissions, around 110 million metric tons would come directly from the plants, with an additional 5 million metric tons resulting from associated natural gas production, processing, and transportation. We arrived at these estimates using information from the Energy Information Administration, National Energy Technology Laboratory, and other sources. For a detailed methodology and more analysis, see EIP’s June 2025 report here.
The map will be updated quarterly. A live version of the inventory with the most up to date information on gas power plant projects in Texas can be found here.
If you have questions about this inventory, please contact Griffin Bird (gbird@environmentalintegrity.org). For media inquiries, contact Tom Pelton (tpelton@environmentalintegrity.org)
