RWE CEO Markus Krebber warned on October 7, 2026, that the rapid rise in power demand from data centers is putting pressure on Europe’s grid expansion without proper cost contribution from the companies driving that demand. The German utility, which holds a 55% stake in grid operator Amprion through a 3.2 billion euro deal in 2025, is itself positioning to serve the data center market through its “energised Land” initiative with around 3 gigawatts of grid capacity secured. RWE plans to grow its US energy generation capacity from 13 GW to 22 GW by 2031 with an investment of approximately 17 billion euros, primarily targeting data center demand. If grid expansion costs are socialized across all users, households and smaller businesses could end up subsidizing data center infrastructure, raising fairness concerns as Europe simultaneously tries to electrify transport, heating and industry while cutting emissions.
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