Amazon's Data Centers Powered by Iowa Coal Plant Despite Climate Pledges
By
By Jeremy Fisher May 26, 2026
Summary
The article investigates Amazon's role in keeping the Louisa coal plant in Iowa operational through power purchase agreements, despite Amazon's public climate pledges. The plant, built over 40 years ago, burns coal from Wyoming and emits significant pollutants including NOx and particulate matter, contributing to approximately 40 premature deaths annually. Amazon's data centers in Northern Virginia are powered in part by this plant, highlighting a contradiction between the company's renewable energy commitments and its actual energy sourcing practices.
Source
bskyAmazon's Data Centers Powered by Iowa Coal Plant Despite Climate Pledgessierraclub.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledIt is estimated that the NOx and particulate emissions from Louisa ultimately increase premature mortality rates by about 40 statistical lives each year.
The Louisa coal plant sits outside of the rural community of Fruitland, Iowa and looks over the Mississippi River.
Built over 40 years ago, it burns coal shipped in from Wyoming's Powder River basin - and in 2025 emitted over 4,200 tons of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), a byproduct of fossil combustion and a key ingredient for ground-level ozone, or what most people know as smog.
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