An analysis from the Union of Concerned Scientists reveals that meeting growing US data center demand primarily with new natural gas generation could expose electricity consumers to cumulative wholesale costs of $886 to $978 billion between 2026 and 2050. US data centers consumed approximately 176 TWh in 2023, representing 4.4% of national consumption, a figure projected to reach 325 to 580 TWh by 2028. Natural gas currently provides over 40% of the electricity powering US data centers. MARA Holdings, one of the largest publicly traded Bitcoin miners, agreed to purchase a 505 MW natural gas plant in Ohio for $1.5 billion, illustrating the mining sector’s trend toward acquiring its own generation assets.
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