UNECE warns AI datacenters strain global electricity grids
UN | Climate Change
· September 08, 2026
· ✓ verified
The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has warned that AI datacenters are growing faster than electricity infrastructure, raising risks for grid reliability and resilience worldwide.
- Datacenter consumption is expected to almost double by 2030, rising from 485 TWh in 2025 to 950 TWh by 2030; UNECE says large facilities can be built and connected in 2 to 5 years, while transmission/grid upgrades can take more than 10 years.
- Investment in datacenter infrastructure worldwide is forecast to rise from around $800 billion per year in 2026 to $1.8 trillion per year in 2050; the article also cites connection restrictions in Dublin and constraints in the Netherlands as examples of policy responses.