The U.S. will have to double the pace of new electricity generation in order to meet a steep jump in energy demand, according to a new report from consulting firm ICF International.
The new report projects that U.S. electricity demand will grow 25 percent between 2023 and 2030 and a shocking 78 percent by 2050, in large part thanks to a boom in data centers and manufacturing centers. That’s an even bigger increase than ICF had forecast just two years ago and more than reports from the federal government just months ago — an indication, the authors say, of just how quickly demand is changing.
In 2023, ICF said, national forecasts predicted 1.3 percent annual demand growth through the end of the decade. That figure is now 3.2 percent.
“This is a pivotal moment as rising demand creates urgent challenges for the grid,” Anne Choate, ICF executive vice president for energy, environment and infrastructure, said in a statement. “Meeting this demand will take a coordinated effort from across the energy sector on an ‘all-of-the-above’ strategy.”
