Post: US power consumption to reach record

US power consumption to reach record

US electricity consumption is set to hit record-high levels this year and next, as demand from data centres and industrial customers soars, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has said.

Published on September 9, the latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) notes  that the higher growth in generation reflects colder-than-expected weather earlier in 2025 along with the incorporation of load growth assessments by grid operators in the ERCOT and PJM systems, the EIA noted. 

Increasing demand is being met by higher generation from most energy sources in 2025. It expects that total US generation by the electric power sector will grow by 2.3% in 2025 and a further 3.0% next year. Solar power is expected to supply the largest share of the increase in both years, generating 33% in 2025 compared with 2024. Wind is expected to generate 4% more electricity in 2025 than it did in 2024, while  hydropower generation is expected to grow by 2%.

But it also notes that 2025 would be the first year-over-year increase in coal generation since 2021. Natural gas-fired power plants are forecast to generate 3% less electricity in 2025 than last year. In some regions, such as Texas and the Midwest, increasing generation from solar is also displacing some natural gas-fired generation.

Energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to increase by 1.5% in 2025, followed by a decrease of 0.5% in 2026. Coal, natural gas, and petroleum products all contribute to rising emissions, with the largest emissions increase observed from coal. Emissions decreases in 2026 are mostly from coal.