Is rising US electricity demand straining the power grid?
Core argument: Grid Strategies reports that nationwide five-year forecasts for US electricity demand growth rose from 2.6% in 2022 to 4.7% in 2023, based on an analysis of utility filings to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
US electricity demand is booming after years of stagnation, driven by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and electric vehicles and prompting warnings over the stability of the power grid. Retail sales of electricity will total nearly 4bn kilowatt-hours this year, a record, the government’s energy analysis agency forecast this week. Grid Strategies, a US consultancy, said that nationwide forecasts for electricity demand growth over the next five years had “shot up” from 2.6% in 2022 to 4.7% in 2023, in a report based on an analysis of utility filings to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The largest driver of increased electricity demand was $481bn in industrial projects that have been announced since 2021, including the manufacturing of chips and batteries. Another big driver was the anticipated construction of $150bn in new data centres by 2028 and clean technologies such as electric heat pumps, water heaters and cars.

