EVs and datacentres driving new global ‘age of electricity’, says watchdog

Forecast for rising global electricity use likely to stoke fears of rising costs and stalled efforts to fight climate crisis

The world's electricity use will grow every year by more than the amount consumed annually by Japan because of a surge in electric transport, air conditioning and datacentres, according to the world's energy watchdog.

The International Energy Agency has raised its predictions for the world's rising demand for electricity, pegging the growth at almost 4% a year until 2027, up from its previous forecast of 3.4% year.