U.S. peak electricity demand is now projected to grow by as much as 128 gigawatts through 2029, quintupling earlier forecasts, according to a report from a prominent power sector consulting firm.
“It’s really eye-opening. I think it’s the first time we’ve seen those types of numbers,” said Karen Onaran, CEO of the Electricity Consumers Resource Council, which represents large industrial users.
The Thursday report from Grid Strategies analyzed forecasts submitted by grid operators to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and added its own estimates of extraordinary new power supply requests from digital data center developers in five states and regions — Texas, the mid-Atlantic region, Great Lakes states, Georgia and the Pacific Northwest.
It found the increasing energy needs of data centers, advanced manufacturing and transportation electrification were the overwhelming drivers of the increased loads.
