AI Data Centers Could Use 9 Percent of U.S. Electricity by 2030, Utilities Warn Regulators

RICHMOND, Va. — The rapid growth of data centers built to train and run artificial intelligence systems could push their share of U.S. electricity use to as much as 9 percent by 2030, more than double today’s level, utility executives told a panel of state regulators on Tuesday.

The testimony, delivered at a joint hearing of utility commissioners from five states, offered one of the clearest pictures yet of how AI is reshaping the nation’s power grid, and raised pointed questions about who should pay for the new power plants and transmission lines needed to keep up.

Demand rising faster than supply

Executives from Tidewater Power & Light, which serves much of the mid-Atlantic, said requests from data center developers in its territory now exceed 40 gigawatts, more than the utility’s entire current peak demand. Not all of those projects will be built, but even a fraction would require major investments.