Japan Sees Data Center-Driven Power Boom in Northern Region

  • National grid operator OCCTO releases latest forecast
  • Hokkaido area is attracting data centers and chip makers

Annual power demand for Hokkaido is expected to increase by 1.2% on average into fiscal 2034, OCCTO said in a report.

Photographer: Soichiro Koriyama/Bloomberg

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Electricity demand in Japan’s Hokkaido area is expected to grow the fastest in the country, as the region prepares to roll out energy-intensive data centers and semiconductor chip-making plants.

Annual power demand for Hokkaido is expected to increase by 1.2% on average into fiscal 2034, the Organization for Cross-Regional Coordination of Transmission Operators, or OCCTO, said in a report released on Wednesday. That compares with an average annual rise of 1.1% for the Tokyo area and 0.6% nationwide.