Australian data centres to account for 12% of east coast electricity demand by 2033-34, IBISWorld says
XLU•Data centres could account for about 12% of Australia’s east coast grid electricity demand by 2033-34, up from 2.8% in 2025-26, with forecast demand rising to 29.2 TWh from 19.9 TWh.
1. Demand forecast rises
Australia’s data centre electricity demand forecast for 2033-34 rose to 29.2 TWh from 19.9 TWh in AEMO’s August 2026 revision. Data centres could account for about 12% of east coast grid electricity demand by 2033-34, compared with 2.8% in 2025-26.
2. Construction pipeline expands
Building approvals in the category that includes data centres more than doubled to $17.7 billion in 2025-26, while the value of projects under construction rose to $27.2 billion from $10 billion. Since AEMO’s July 1 data cutoff, 10 data centre projects totaling about 6,900 MW have become public.
