US data centers could consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined by 2035 — SkimNews
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- U.S. data centers are projected to consume about 18 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day by 2035, nearly double the figure BloombergNEF predicted just nine months ago.
- Data centers will rank as the second-strongest driver of U.S. natural gas demand growth after LNG exports over the next decade, according to BloombergNEF.
- On-site powered data centers planned by Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon will consume 2.9 to 3.4 billion cubic feet per day by 2035 — roughly equal to total data center gas demand today.
- Grid-connected data centers will drive an additional 15 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas demand through 2035, five times more growth than from all other grid-connected sectors combined.
- Analysts at Noreva warn the combined effect of the data center boom and rising LNG exports could nudge natural gas prices higher, squeezing utility ratepayers even if tech giants absorb the cost.
- The additional gas burned by data centers will generate roughly 1 million metric tons more greenhouse gas pollution per day — about 12% of total U.S. emissions today, per IEA figures.
Why it matters: The AI buildout, if forecasts hold, adds 18 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas demand — enough to lift gas prices and stack 1 million metric tons of daily emissions on top of today's footprint. Utility ratepayers would absorb the price hit even if hyperscalers shrug it off, turning AI's energy appetite into a household cost story.
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