Demand from Data Centers Causes 66% Increase in Natural Gas Power Plant Costs

2026-04-27 · TechCrunch AI · Original

The rising demand for electricity from data centers has led to a staggering 66% increase in the costs associated with natural gas power plants, which have nearly doubled over the past two years. In addition to soaring expenses, the construction time for these facilities has also extended by 23%. As tech companies continue to expand their digital infrastructure, the pressure on energy resources intensifies, resulting in higher operational costs and longer project timelines for power generation. This trend raises concerns about sustainability and the future of energy production in a data-driven world.

Popular AI tools

ElevenLabsElevenLabs

AI voice generator with realistic text-to-speech

DescriptDescript

All-in-one video and podcast editing

Pixlr AIPixlr AI

Online AI photo editor

Leonardo.AILeonardo.AI

AI image generation platform for game assets and creative content

DALL-E 3DALL-E 3

OpenAI's latest AI image generator with precise text understanding

Perplexity AIPerplexity AI

AI-powered search engine with conversational answers