The expansion of energy-intensive data centers is poised to trigger a significant rise in natural gas demand, as highlighted by TC Energy Corp., the largest natural gas pipeline operator in North America.

According to TC Energy, gas demand for data center operations is projected to surge by up to 8 billion cubic feet per day by 2030, constituting approximately 21% of the current U.S. fuel demand for power generation.

Data centers, leveraging artificial intelligence technology, are expected to propel the most substantial increase in demand for electric utilities in a generation. Alongside AI-powered computing data centers, the U.S. power grid faces additional strain from new factories and the growing electrification of various sectors, including vehicles and heat pumps.

Enverus Intelligence Research forecasts a growth of about 14 GW in the installed electrical capacity of data centers from 2023 to 2030, potentially resulting in an additional natural gas demand of around 2 billion cubic feet per day if fully supported by gas-fired power plants.

Consequently, amidst these developments, Europe may witness fluctuating access to LNG at escalating costs.