U.S. electricity consumption is poised to set back-to-back records, the Energy Information Administration said in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook. The agency projects demand will climb to 4,186 billion kilowatt-hours in 2025 and 4,284 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026, eclipsing the 4,097-billion-kilowatt-hour high expected this year. The surge is driven largely by the rapid expansion of data centers that power artificial-intelligence and cryptocurrency applications, as well as broader electrification of heating and transportation. Data centers already account for roughly 5% of U.S. electricity use, and analysts cited by the EIA expect that share to more than double within five years. Residential power sales are forecast to reach 1,515 billion kilowatt-hours in 2025, with commercial consumption at 1,476 billion and industrial demand at 1,051 billion—levels that either match or surpass previous peaks. On the supply side, natural gas is expected to provide 40% of generation in 2025 and 2026, down from 42% this year, while renewables rise to 26% by 2026. Coal’s share is projected to slip to 15% in 2026 after a brief uptick next year, and nuclear power edges lower to 18%. The EIA also anticipates U.S. natural-gas output and demand will hit record highs in 2025 before easing in 2026, and it trimmed its 2026 crude-oil production outlook amid lower price expectations.