When Micron is fully operational in Onondaga County in 2045, it’s expected to use enough energy to power New Hampshire and Vermont combined. That energy, in part, will come from billions of cubic feet of natural gas, generating greenhouse gas emissions that, according to Micron, will have a significant impact on the five-county area and state.
Natural gas is a fuel that’s produced natural and derived from the earth. Though it may be natural, that doesn’t mean it’s green. When burned for energy, natural gas produces carbon dioxide and emits methane — a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
As it stands, the mega campus is expected to use about 8,400 BCF on natural gas per year — roughly six times the amount of natural gas the entire state of New York used in 2022. Tim Judson, the executive director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, says those numbers worry him…