France is emerging as a strategic hub for global data flows, driven by a digital boom that is sharply increasing the country's electricity demand. According to a report by Aurora Energy Research, electricity consumption by data centres in France has tripled in just three years, rising from 3 TWh in 2019 to 10 TWh in 2022. This now accounts for 2.2% of the nation’s total electricity consumption.

With more than 250 data centres already in operation and a low-carbon electricity mix — largely based on nuclear energy — France is positioning itself as a key destination for further investment in digital infrastructure. The country has a potential pipeline of 11 GW of data centre capacity awaiting grid connection, reflecting the ongoing growth in demand for digital services, also driven by AI-powered applications.

Stable demand, but cooling remains a major challenge

Aurora projects that electricity consumption from the sector will increase by 74% by 2050, nearly doubling before stabilizing in the longer term. This steady rise is part of a broader trend of recovery in France’s industrial electricity demand, which grew again for the first time in 2024. Industrial consumption is expected to rise a further 20% by 2060, despite improvements in energy efficiency.

A key characteristic of data centres is their highly stable power demand throughout the day, with intraday variations of just 5%. However, seasonal differences can reach up to 23%, mainly due to cooling needs — which can account for up to 40% of total energy consumption in these facilities.

France, a European digital hub with strong potential

France also stands out for its 20 submarine cable connections, linking it directly to major global digital traffic routes, further reinforcing its strategic value for data-intensive industries.

According to the report, despite growing consumption, energy efficiency has significantly improved. The Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) — the ratio of total power consumed by a data centre to the power used by its IT equipment — has dropped from over 2.5 in 2007 to around 1.5 today. The most modern data centres can now achieve PUEs close to 1.1.

Jonathan Hoare, Product Manager in France at Aurora Energy Research, stated: "Data centre placement in France has many strategic benefits: from stable, decarbonised power from the nuclear fleet, to a central location interconnected with the global information network through undersea cables. We expect this demand to grow globally, but France in particular will be a key hub for this expansion in Europe — the 11 GW potential pipeline is proof of that."

Aurora stresses the urgent need for coordinated action among policymakers, regulators, and energy providers to ensure the grid is ready to support this structural shift in demand — enabling both industrial growth and the country’s digital transformation.