France is witnessing a sharp rise in electricity demand driven by the rapid growth of its data centre sector, fuelled by the new digitalised economy. With over 250 data centres already operating, France is leveraging its low-carbon electricity mix and strategic position in Europe to attract even more investment in digital infrastructure. According to Aurora Energy Research, the global power market analytics provider, electricity demand from data centres is set to grow by 74% by 2050, nearly doubling before stabilising in the longer term. This surge is backed by a massive pipeline of 11 GW of data centre capacity awaiting grid connection, reflecting the growing appetite for digital services.

Estimations indicate that data centre electricity usage in France has already tripled since 2019, rising from 3 TWh to 10 TWh in 2022, now accounting for 2.2% of the nation’s total electricity consumption. Demand is expected to continue rising sharply, especially as AI-driven workloads increase. 

The global analytical provider states that unlike other sectors, data centres exhibit highly stable electricity demand throughout the day, varying by only 5% intraday. However, seasonal variations of up to 23% occur due to cooling needs, which can represent up to 40% of total energy consumption for these facilities. 

France’s attractiveness as a hub is further reinforced by its 20 submarine cable connections, linking it to global digital traffic routes and enhancing its strategic value for data-heavy industries. 

While significant progress has been made in improving energy efficiency — with the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), which in this case refers to the ratio of electricity consumed to power the whole data centre versus electricity consumed, dropping from over 2.5 in 2007 to around 1.5— further efficiency gains are expected, with modern data centres able to achieve a PUE of 1.1. 

This data centre-driven surge comes as part of a broader rebound in France’s industrial electricity demand. Total demand rose for the first time in 2024, and Aurora forecasts a 20% increase in industrial electricity demand by 2060, driven by economic growth and electrification, despite the offsetting effects of improved energy efficiency. 

Aurora’s analysis highlights the urgent need for coordinated action among policymakers, regulators, and energy providers to ensure that the grid can support this structural shift in demand, enabling both industrial growth and digital transformation. 

Jonathan Hoare, Product Manager in France, says: “Data centre placement in France has many strategic benefits, from stable decarbonised power from the nuclear fleet, to a central position interconnected to the global information network through undersea cables. We expect to see this demand increase globally but France in particular will be a hub for this expansion in Europe – the 11GW potential pipeline is testament to that.”

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