Belgium’s electricity grid operator Elia is weighing plans to introduce energy allocation limits for data centres, as a wave of AI-fueled demand threatens to strain the country’s power network and crowd out other industries.
Under the proposal, Elia would place data centres in a separate consumption category, giving them a fixed share of grid capacity. The move aims to prevent high-energy facilities from monopolising the grid while still allowing flexible connections that could be curtailed during peak demand or congestion.
The proposal comes as the global race to build AI data infrastructure drives electricity demand to unprecedented levels. In Belgium alone, requests from data centre operators have surged ninefold since 2022, Elia told Reuters. Reserved capacity for 2034 already exceeds twice the 8 terawatt-hours projected in national grid development plans.
“These volumes were not anticipated when Belgium’s grid scenarios were designed,” Elia said, warning that speculative projects risk blocking capacity for other sectors if left unchecked.
The issue will be addressed in Belgium’s next federal grid development plan (2028–2038), Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet told parliament this week. “I will pay particular attention to this during the plan’s approval,” he said.
Belgium’s debate reflects a broader European challenge: balancing energy-intensive AI operations with industrial and environmental goals. Data centres—essential for AI model training and cloud computing—are rapidly becoming one of Europe’s largest sources of new electricity demand.
Tech giants such as Google are already ramping up investment. The U.S. company plans to spend €5 billion ($5.8 billion) expanding its Belgian data centre campuses as part of its global AI strategy.
If approved, Elia’s proposal could make Belgium one of the first European nations to formally cap grid access for AI infrastructure—signalling a shift toward tighter energy governance in the digital age.