Rising electricity demand from data centers is reshaping how US utilities plan generation and transmission in 2026. Power demand from data centers is expected to climb from about 31 gigawatts in 2025 to 41 gigawatts in 2026, then to 66 gigawatts the following year. The data center share of peak summer power demand is projected to rise from 4.1 percent in 2025 to 5.3 percent in 2026.
Capacity additions are accelerating to keep pace. Year-over-year additions are scheduled to reach 13.6 gigawatts in 2026 and 36.3 gigawatts in 2027, compared with 6.4 gigawatts realized in 2024 and 8.5 gigawatts in 2025. Roughly 11.5 gigawatts of the 2026 total is expected in the final three quarters of the year.
Grid operators face reliability pressure in several regions. Planners flag elevated risk in the Mid-Atlantic, Mid-Continent, and Northwest markets, where scheduled generation additions lag the incoming data center load. The Energy Information Administration trimmed its 2026 power generation forecast even as consumption climbs, reflecting the difficulty of forecasting demand from large new customers.
Overall US electricity consumption is projected to rise from about 4,110 billion kilowatt-hours in 2024 to more than 4,260 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026, led by large customers concentrated in the ERCOT and PJM regions. Utilities are responding with new generation, transmission upgrades, and long-term power agreements to serve the load.
Source: Utility Dive - https://www.utilitydive.com/news/energy-short-term-outlook-2026-load-demand-data-centers/807530/