Energy: AI boom drives US electricity consumption to record highs
Data centers for AI and cryptocurrencies are driving demand particularly strongly. However, a construction ban on new facilities in Texas could significantly slow down growth.
New York. The AI boom and advancing electrification are driving electricity consumption in the USA to new record highs in the coming years. The demand will climb from the previous high of 4,195 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2025 to 4,268 TWh in 2026 and 4,391 TWh in 2027, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) announced on Tuesday in its short-term energy forecast.
The increase is mainly due to data centers for AI and cryptocurrencies. In addition, private households and companies are increasingly using electricity instead of fossil fuels for heating and transportation. However, the authority significantly lowered its forecast for 2027 for the state of Texas. There, electricity demand is expected to grow by only six percent, after a 14 percent increase had previously been expected.
The background is a construction ban on new data centers imposed by the Texas governor at the beginning of August.
In electricity generation, the EIA expects a shift in favor of renewable energy. Its share is expected to rise from around 24 percent in 2025 to 27 percent in 2027. At the same time, the share of coal is expected to fall from 17 to 15 percent. Natural gas and nuclear power are likely to remain stable at 40 and 18 percent, respectively. More: Will AI destroy the climate – or can it save it?
Translated by urgent.news. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
