Moody’s Ratings analysis shows that America’s growing demand for power from data centers to support AI and cloud computing will require $140 billion (S$192 billion) to build 45 gigawatts of new power generation by 2030. This projection is based on the International Energy Agency's forecast predicting that data centers will consume 426 terawatt-hours in 2030, doubling their share of U.S. electricity usage to 10%. The majority of this new supply (over 30 GW) will come from natural gas-fired units, with solar and energy storage providing the bulk of the remainder.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The American AI boom is expected to require $140 billion to construct new power plants capable of generating 45 gigawatts by 2030, according to an analysis by Moody’s Ratings. The bulk of this expansion will come from natural gas-fired units contributing over 30 GW, while solar and energy storage will account for the rest. This projection is based on the International Energy Agency's forecast that data centers will consume 426 terawatt-hours in 2030, doubling their share of US electricity usage to 10% from current levels. The White House views this AI race as a national imperative but faces opposition due to concerns over rising power bills and environmental impacts.
Written for “AI Energy Requirements Growth” on 2026-09-14,
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No political leaning scored for article 9028 · logged 2026-09-14
America’s AI boom needs $140b in new power plants, new estimate shows
NEW YORK –
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estimate → need → plants
America’s data centre boom will need US$110 billion (S$140 billion) to build 45 gigawatts (GW) of new power generation through 2030, according to an analysis by Moody’s Ratings.
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boom → need → Ratings
The vast majority of that new supply – more than 30 GW – will come from natural gas-fired units and represents about 4 billion cu ft of incremental gas supply, according to a report on Sept 14.
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majority → come → Sept
The bulk of the remaining supply will come from solar and energy storage, with nuclear restarts accounting for less than 5 per cent.
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restarts → remain → cent
The projection is based on the International Energy Agency’s forecast that data centres will consume 426 terawatt-hours in 2030, doubling its share of US electricity usage to 10 per cent from 2025 levels.
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centres → base → levels
Moody’s forecast quantifies what it would take to produce enough megawatts to feed the data centres needed for artificial intelligence and cloud computing that are driving the biggest expansion in US electricity demand in decades, fueling a massive buildout of infrastructure to support it.
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that → quantify → it
The White House has called the AI race a national imperative, backing some of the world’s biggest companies as they compete for potentially enormous profits.
But the buildout comes at a cost, drawing opposition from Americans worried that the average household and business is subsidising AI through rising power bills, pollution, water shortages and threats to public lands and private property.
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household → call → lands
The US$110 billion buildout of new power plants alone could add US$25 billion to US$30 billion a year to electricity costs in the US.
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buildout → add → US
How that is passed on to consumers will depend on the rate-making process and other rules for allocating costs in each area, Ryan Wobbrock, senior vice-president of ratings at Moody’s Ratings’ global infrastructure finance group, said in an e-mail.
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Wobbrock → pass → mail
Data centres will pay for as much as US$15 billion of those costs directly because they are paying for power plants to be built on their AI campuses, he said.
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he → pay → campuses
These behind-the-meter projects at data centres represent about 30 per cent of the total buildout through 2030.
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projects → represent → 2030
After two decades of lacklustre demand growth, the US has been struggling to jumpstart the construction of gas generators in an industry that typically moves with years of lead time.
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that → struggle → time
These gas generators are coveted because they can be ordered to ramp up, unlike renewables that are beholden to sunshine and wind speeds.
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that → covet → speeds
Amid affordability concerns, “federal and state politicians and regulators are requiring more time to review and structure rates, creating a new source of potential delays for new data centre developments”, according to the report led by Wobbrock.
“The pace of data centre development is increasingly exceeding the speed at which the electric grid can add generation, transmission and interconnection capacity,” he said.
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he → require → capacity
