AI Data Center Growth Means More Coal and Gas Plants, IEA Says

Growth in artificial intelligence-focused data centers will drive demand for gas- and coal-fired power plants, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency.

The IEA projects power demand from data centers to double by 2030. While renewable energy capacity is also set to increase, especially in Europe, the intermittent supplies provided by wind and solar won’t be sufficient. Baseload generation, such as gas, will often best match the demand patterns of data centers, the agency said.

With some of the largest planned data centers consuming the same power as 5 million homes, that has huge implications for greenhouse ...