ENERGY & POWER
As the world becomes ever more digital, the pressures on power grids – and the data centres relying on them – are extreme. It is not just about keeping the lights on but about creating a resilient, sustainable infrastructure to support constant data flows, AI workloads and digital transformation.
The International Energy Agency( IEA) projects that global electricity consumption by data centres will more than double between 2024 and 2030, reaching an astonishing 945 terawatthours( TWh) – a power demand equivalent to that of Japan. The IEA identifies AI as“ the most important driver of this growth”.
This reality is driving an urgent conversation across the data centre sector: what does it mean to pursue grid independence?
Surging demand drives energy innovation The demand for data centres has accelerated beyond anything previously experienced.
In the first half of 2024, announced projects more than tripled. Wood Mackenzie, a global consultancy, now estimates new data centre projects revealed in that six-month spell total a capacity of nearly 24 GW, which is more than the entire amount announced throughout 2023.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Chris Seiple, Vice Chairman, Power & Renewables at Wood Mackenzie, said:“ A large load like this has never really existed in history. It’ s clear that there is a race going on across America to secure land and interconnection to energy to be able to build as much data centre capacity as possible.”
148 October 2025