Wire · operational-macro
Carbon capture and storage could curb data center emissions
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Fusion42 · 20 July 2026 · Fusion42 review
A Rice University study projects US data center power demand will grow fourfold to 169 gigawatts by 2030 due to AI demand, with associated CO2 emissions rising to 404 million metric tons annually. The research finds that natural gas plants paired with carbon capture and storage could mitigate 74% of data center emissions by 2030, with 34 US states possessing sufficient underground saline aquifer capacity to store the captured carbon for over a century.
This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of AI Infrastructure, Clean Energy and Carbon Tech, and 2 sources have reported it between 20 Jul 2026 and 27 Jul 2026.
◆ ◆ The Wire takeaway
If you're building AI infrastructure or selling power to data centers, your energy costs and permitting timeline just shifted: Texas and Virginia now have a clear path to sub-grid, low-carbon power within five years. Natural gas with carbon capture isn't yet cheap—but it's the only option that scales fast enough to match your demand growth.
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2 sources · first reported 20 Jul 2026 · latest 27 Jul 2026
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