EIA Projects Power Consumption Will Hit Record High in 2025 and 2026

The Energy Information Administration has previously attributed the rise in power consumption to growing electricity demand from data centers.

The sun sets behind power lines above the plains north of Amarillo, Texas, U.S., March 14, 2017. Lucas Jackson/Reuters

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Oct. 7 forecast that U.S. electricity consumption will reach a record 4,191 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) this year and 4,305 billion kWh in 2026.

The projected figures are up from the record 4,097 billion kWh in electricity consumption recorded last year, according to the EIA’s latest short-term energy outlook.