Power consumption data centers in the Netherlands increased again

The power consumption of data centers in the Netherlands has increased again, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). In 2024, data centers collectively consumed 5,100 GWh of electricity. That is 4.6% of the total electricity consumption in the Netherlands – comparable to the power consumption of nearly 2 million households. This means that the electricity consumption of data centers continues to grow, although the increase is leveling off.

The Netherlands has around 200 data centers, mainly concentrated around Amsterdam. These are commercial data centers belonging to cloud providers and technology companies. Data centers that are part of organizations such as universities and hospitals are not included; the figures relate exclusively to connections where data processing is the main activity.

Since 2021, electricity supply to data centers has increased by 37%, from 3,700 to 5,100 GWh. Their share of total electricity consumption increased from 3.3% to 4.6% during that period.

Increase mainly large data centers

The increase in electricity supply to data centers is particularly evident in the group of large data centers with a total supply of more than 10 GWh. This group of approximately 45 data centers collectively accounts for about 90% of the total electricity supplied to data centers. Over the past few years, the number of large data centers has remained roughly the same, but the total electricity supply to this group of data centers has increased. Within this group, more and more electricity is being consumed.