US Data Centers Could Use More Natural Gas Than Germany and Japan Combined by 2035, BNEF Says

U.S. data centers could consume about 18 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day by 2035 — more than Germany and Japan combined — according to a BloombergNEF projection reported by TechCrunch on September 15, 2026.

BloombergNEF’s outlook nearly doubles a forecast from nine months earlier. TechCrunch reports the facilities could consume about 18 Bcf/d by 2035, nearly double what BloombergNEF predicted just nine months earlier. The new forecast, TechCrunch says, takes into account that not all announced data center projects will be completed. Over the next decade, data centers are described as the second-strongest driver of U.S. natural gas demand growth after LNG exports.

Onsite gas plants are a visible slice — but grid-connected demand may dominate. TechCrunch notes that Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have announced plans for new natural gas power plants that would bypass the grid. Projects of that type are projected to consume 2.9 billion to 3.4 billion cubic feet per day by 2035 — about as much as all data centers consume today, including natural gas used to generate power for the grid. BloombergNEF still sees onsite-powered sites as only a fraction of overall growth: by the mid-2030s, grid-connected data centers are predicted to drive an additional 15 Bcf/d of power-sector natural gas use, described as five times more demand growth through 2035 than from all other grid-connected sectors combined.

Price and climate impacts are framed as contingent on the projection materializing. TechCrunch says that if the demand growth materializes, it could nudge natural gas prices higher. Separately, analysts at Noreva are cited as warning that the combined impact of the data center boom and rising LNG exports could cause prices to soar, with utility ratepayers potentially less able to bear a surge than tech balance sheets. On emissions, TechCrunch cites IEA figures that burning one cubic foot of natural gas releases the equivalent of about 60 grams of CO₂ including extraction, processing, and distribution, and states the additional data-center demand would generate about 1 million metric tons more greenhouse gas pollution daily — roughly 12% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions today.

These figures are projections reported via TechCrunch from BloombergNEF and related analysts, not settled 2035 outcomes. Policy responses and buildout completion rates could change the path.