Inside the race to fix America’s gas pipelines amid AI Center boom
Inside the Race to Fix America’s Gas Pipelines Amid AI Center Boom
The rise of power-hungry data centers is posing a new challenge to the nation’s aging natural gas pipeline infrastructure.
July 15, 2026
Beneath the hills of Appalachia lies the nation’s largest natural gas-producing basin, yet many of the pipelines needed to move this vital resource are operating near capacity.
Meanwhile, demand for electricity is growing faster than it has in years. Data centers accounted for 50 percent of that demand growth in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency.
In the famous “Data Center Alley” of northern Virginia, energy giant Williams Companies is expanding its Transco natural gas pipeline system, while developers are proposing to build gas-fired power plants adjacent to data centers to bypass traditional grid interconnections, according to Global Energy Monitor.
Enlarging the support network for ramped-up natural gas production involves far more than installing and replacing pipes. Systems require stations that maintain the pressure to move gas over hundreds of miles, through processing plants, storage facilities, and metering stations. They also require connections to power plants, factories, export terminals, and local distribution networks.
Industry experts say this infrastructure network must continue modernizing to improve reliability and reduce supply bottlenecks.
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