Is electricity demand growth accelerating enough to drive economic growth?
Core argument: Average annual electricity load growth reached 3% last year and will continue at that rate for the next five years, according to power-sector consulting firm Grid Strategies.
[Average Annual Electricity Load] growth jumped to 3% last year and will continue at that rate for the next five years [according to] Grid Strategies, a power-sector consulting firm. The firm estimates that since 2022, utilities have raised expected peak demand for summer 2029 by 12%, or 101 gigawatts. The drivers are data centers for AI, cloud computing and cryptocurrency; new factories; and the gradual adoption of electric vehicles, heat pumps, and hydrogen production. Most of the cost of oil and gas is the fuel itself, whereas for electricity it is the generation, transmission, storage and distribution infrastructure. Oil-and-gas extraction and refining contribute twice as much to gross domestic product as utilities, but electric utilities alone invest 50% more in plant, equipment and technology.

