Amazon has acquired an 8,000-acre plot of land in Texas, where it plans to develop a data center powered by what could become the largest natural gas power plant in the US.

​According to reporting from Cleanview, the company acquired the GW Ranch site in Pecos, Texas, from Pacifico Energy, where it intends to construct a behind-the-meter powered data center.

Permits show that the gas plant would comprise 35 turbines, generating up to 7.65GW of power capacity.

​"Amazon believes in paying the full costs of powering our operations,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Our new planned data center campus in Pecos County does just that: it’s powered by new on-site generation that won’t raise electricity costs for Texas families and designed to transition to grid-connected service as interconnection timelines allow.”

​The site’s developer Pacifico, obtained a 7.65GW air permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The off-grid power project was announced last year and is expected to be located on an 8,000+ acre plot in Pecos County. According to reporting at the time, the project is expected to combine natural gas generation with 1.8GW of battery storage and 750MW of solar, creating a standalone energy platform intended to support multi-phase data center deployments.

​Amazon was linked to the site earlier this month, when it filed three construction permits with the state setting out plans to build three data center buildings, with construction expected to start immediately.

Following these reports, Amazon confirmed it had acquired the GW Ranch site and its intentions to purchase generation from the site.

“Amazon believes in paying the full costs of powering our operations. Our new planned data center campus in Pecos County does just that: It's powered by new on-site generation that won't raise electricity costs for Texas families and is designed to transition to grid-connected service as interconnection timelines allow. We're also exploring opportunities for solar energy and battery storage on site. To ensure we don't put stress on the local watershed, we'll use water that isn't suitable for drinking or irrigation, custom cooling technology that minimizes water use wherever possible, and we'll explore the beneficial use of produced water as an additional non-potable source. This new data center campus in Pecos County is a long-term commitment that we expect will create thousands of new jobs," Amazon said in a statement.

​The deal follows a growing trend of hyperscalers looking toward natural gas as a means to power their large-scale AI data center developments. Last week, it was reported that Amazon was exploring the development of a data center at a natural gas plant outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

​Before this, Microsoft announced plans for a 2GW development in Pecos, Texas, powered by a 2.67GW natural gas plant.