Data centres to use nearly as much power as every NSW and Victorian home by 2036
The rush of AI data centres is expected to put a larger burden on the electricity grid than previously estimated, with projects in development more than doubling in a year.
By 2036, Australia's data centres are projected to consume nearly as much electricity as all homes in New South Wales and Victoria combined, according to the latest forecast from the energy market operator. The number of data centres in development has more than doubled since last year, from 97 to 225. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese plans to propose new energy rules for data centres at a Business Council dinner on Tuesday, with the rules expected to be finalized at national cabinet on Wednesday.
The surge in data centre construction is expected to consume around 34 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity by 2036, which is almost as much as the 38 TWh consumed by all Australian households today. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has considered the energy demands of the 225 known projects at various stages of development, and even with high uncertainty, it now anticipates a surge in power demand far greater than previously estimated.
The current 165 operational data centres in the national electricity market consume about 3% of the supplied electricity, but AEMO projects that data centres will consume 13% of power demand in ten years, even with the cancellation of some projects.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
