Russia's Data Center Power Demand Reaches 5 GW, Straining Grid Infrastructure

MOSCOW, September 10. /TASS/. The capacity of data centers connected to Russia's power grid stands at around 5 GW, with most of them located in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pyotr Konyushenko said in an interview with RBC TV.

"Today, the capacity of data centers connected to the grid in Russia is around 5 GW. They are largely concentrated around the Moscow and St. Petersburg metropolitan areas. Most of the new applications we receive also envisage connections in these areas. All of this puts excessive pressure on the power systems of these regions and creates the need for major changes in the energy sector, including the construction of new power plants or transmission lines. This will, accordingly, lead to delays in certain connection processes," he said.

Konyushenko pointed to the need for data center investors to build new generating capacity to supply their facilities with electricity.

According to the System Operator, the capacity of data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities connected to Russia's power system has reached 4.2 GW. Over the past three years, the share of data centers in overall electricity consumption has doubled, from 1.4% in 2022 to 2.2% in 2025. In 2026, the share of data centers in electricity consumption is expected to rise to 2.4%. Over the next five years, the total power consumption of high-tech computing centers could reach 15.3 GW.

The System Operator previously told TASS that the capacity of cryptocurrency mining facilities and data centers connected to Russia's power grids totaled 4 GW in 2025, up 33.3% from 2024.