Belgium mulls energy limits for power-hungry data centres as AI demand surges

By Alban Kacher

(Reuters) -Belgium’s grid operator could set an electricity allocation limit on data centres to prevent other industrial users from being squeezed out, it said, following a surge in demand from the energy-intensive facilities that power AI.

Under reforms proposed by the operator Elia, data centres would be placed in a separate category that would allow grid capacity to be allocated specifically for them within a set limit, the company told Reuters.

That would ensure other sectors are not blocked out from connecting to the network, the operator said, adding that flexible connections where access may be limited during grid congestion would remain possible.

While major tech companies splurge billions of dollars on AI technologies and the data centres that run them, countri