By Scott DiSavino
NEW YORK, Jan 13 (Reuters) – U.S. power consumption, which hit its second straight record high in 2025, will rise further in 2026 and 2027, the Energy Information Administration said in its Short-Term Energy Outlook on Tuesday.
The EIA projected power demand will rise from a record 4,198 billion kWh in 2025 to 4,256 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2026 and 4,364 billion kWh in 2027.
Demand is surging in part due to data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, and as homes and businesses use more electricity and less fossil fuel for heat and transportation.
The EIA forecast power sales in 2026 will rise to 1,519 billion kWh for residential consumers, 1,522 billion kWh for commercial customers, and 1,069 billion kWh for industrial customers.
The forecasts compare with all-time highs of 1,516 billion kWh for residential consumers in 2025, 1,486 billion kWh in 2025 for commercial customers, and 1,064 billion kWh for industrial customers in 2000.
As renewable output rises, the EIA said the share of power generation from natural gas would slide from 40% in 2025 to 39% in 2026 and 2027. Coal’s share will fall from 17% in 2025 to 15% in 2026 and 2027.
The percentage of renewable generation will rise from around 24% in 2025 to 25% in 2026 and 28% in 2027, while nuclear power’s share will rise from 18% in 2025 to 19% in 2026 before sliding back to 18% in 2027, according to the outlook.
The EIA projected gas sales in 2026 would decline to 12.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) for residential consumers, 9.4 bcfd for commercial customers, and 23.1 bcfd for industrial customers, but rise to 35.8 bcfd for power generation.
That compares with all-time highs of 14.3 bcfd in 1996 for residential consumers, 9.8 bcfd in 2025 for commercial customers, 23.8 bcfd in 1973 for industrial customers, and 36.8 bcfd in 2024 for power generation.
(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by David Gregorio)
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