The combined capacity of data centers (DCs) and mining farms in the Russian power system grew by almost a quarter over the nine months of 2026 and reached 5.4 GW. For data center operators and miners, this is a sign of business expansion, but the growing load on the power system could result in competition for available capacity and higher electricity costs for other consumers.
Since the beginning of the year, energy-intensive computing facilities totaling 1 GW have been connected to the power system. For infrastructure investors, this is an indicator of sustained demand for computing, while for businesses and residents of power-deficient regions, it is a risk of grid overload.
The share of data centers in power consumption is growing
The capacity of operating DCs and mining facilities in the power system as of September 30 amounted to 5,380 MW. The share of data centers in the overall structure of electricity consumption increased over three years from 1.4% in 2022 to 2% in 2025. The combined consumed capacity of high-tech computing centers may reach 15.3 GW over the next five years.
Participants in the commercial DC market expect more modest growth: in their estimate, the electrical capacity of such data centers will increase by 10–12% by the end of 2026, to approximately 1.1 GW. A year earlier, the figure added 18% and reached 990.6 MW, while a record 24% came in 2021. In 2022–2024, growth ranged from 10% to 22%.
A comparison of the data shows that commercial DCs account for only a small part of new connections: over nine months, more than 1 GW was connected to the power system, whereas commercial data centers add about 0.1 GW over the entire year. The bulk of the new load is formed by mining farms and companies' own computing sites.
How load growth is changing the rules for DCs and miners
The forecast is consistent with the assessment of the National Rating Agency (NRA): on September 29, analysts estimated the growth of electricity consumption by Russian DCs by 2030 at 76%, to 26.2 billion kWh, and, according to their calculations, about 70% of the increase will come from artificial intelligence tasks.
The higher the load, the more acute the issue of energy costs. Alexander Sidyakin, head of the State Duma Committee on Digital Development and Artificial Intelligence, called for stimulating data center construction by revising the concept of a wholesale supplier in the energy market: at an electricity price of 6 rubles, data centers will not be built everywhere.
The mining industry has its own view of the problem. Alexander Brazhnikov, executive director of the Russian Association of the Crypto Industry and Blockchain (RACIB), proposed a model in which farms operate as a managed load, reduce consumption during peak hours, and do not shift grid costs onto the population.
Tariffs also matter for private enthusiasts. Blogger Your Friend Andy, who has been mining for ten years, advises buying a small home miner for anyone interested in bitcoin: even at the Moscow tariff, which by the end of 2026 may reach 8.90 rubles per kWh, the popular Bitaxe Gamma 601 model consumes electricity worth about 115 rubles per month.
Cryptalist analysis: The dynamics show a structural shift: the main increase in load on the power system is provided by mining farms and corporate computing sites, not commercial DCs. This increases pressure on tariffs and creates regulatory risk for the industry — likely tightening of connection rules and a revision of the status of wholesale consumers. For the market, this is a signal of growing competition for energy resources, which in the medium term may limit the profitability of mining in power-deficient regions.