North Dakota Led The Country In Electricity Demand Growth, 2019 - 2023 -- EIA - July 21, 2024

Locator: 48200ND.

More today: from UtilityDrive -- electricity sales in North Dakota jumped 37% in the four-year period, 2019 - 2023, the most of any state, according to the EIA.

U.S. commercial sector electricity use grew 1% last year from 2019 levels, but the growth was driven by data center development in 10 states, according to the Energy Information Administration. 

The agency expects electricity sales to the U.S. commercial sector will grow 3% this year and by 1% in 2025, largely driven by the development of large-scale computing facilities such as data centers and cryptocurrency operations, the EIA said in a June 28 report. 

Commercial sector electricity demand in the 10 states with the most demand growth jumped 10%, or by a total of 42 billion kWh, between 2019 and 2023, according to the EIA. Demand in the 40 other states fell 3%, or by 28 billion kWh, in the same period.

Virginia, Texas, South Carolina and Arizona led the way with the highest commercial sector demand growth while Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois and New Jersey had the largest losses in commercial sales, the EIA said. 

Sales in North Dakota jumped 37% in the four-year period, the most of any state, according to the agency.

Earlier

Re-posting from July 9, 2024:  

Look at the EIA chart:

What's the most notable thing about that chart? Hint: look at the "legend."

And more:

The EIA link.

Back to the chart itself and the legend.

This is not a "growth in energy demand" on a percentage basis; this is the change in energy demand in raw numbers. 

Virginia is the darkest blue, followed closely by Texas. Then South Carolina.

Then it's a toss-up but it looks like #4 and #5 are North Dakota and Arizona. Then Oklahoma and Florida. 

But as noted, this is a really great chart. Look at the states with negative energy demand (yellow): New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois. Wow.

Then California. 

I was surprised Colorado, Tennessee, Missouri, New Jersey in various shades of yellow.

Back to blue: it's not just data centers, but it's also the oil industry -- Texas, Oklahoma, and North Dakota.

Spend some time on this chart; think about it. Look at some of the "less blue" states -- particularly interesting: Idaho and Nevada for the West Coast folks; and Mississippi and Georgia for the East Coast folks. I was surprised to see North Carolina so pale blue.