BGRIM unveils plan to meet 8,800 MW data centre power demand, pushes Direct PPA and data centre COD this November
B.Grimm Power, or BGRIM, has announced a plan to serve massive electricity demand from future industries including data centres, artificial intelligence, electronics and the EV ecosystem. Noppadol Karansut, Chief Executive Officer for business in Thailand, Malaysia and industrial business solutions, told Thunhoon that the draft national power development plan, or PDP, estimates data centre electricity demand at 8,800 megawatts over the next 25 years, higher than Malaysia and Singapore, which each have roughly 2,000 to 4,000 megawatts of installed capacity and projects under development. Combined with its existing industrial customer base of 2,300 megawatts, the company sees an opportunity to develop 10,000 to 30,000 megawatts of power from gas and clean energy. The government is also allowing direct power sales to the private sector, or Direct PPA, and the company has secured high-voltage substation and transmission line sites covering 11 industrial estates to support the government's 2,000 megawatt Direct PPA pilot project. On the data centre business, the company has formed a joint venture with a Singaporean firm to develop a 96 megawatt Hyperscaler AI Data Center worth 26 billion baht in Chonburi province. Phase 1, at 48 megawatts, is scheduled for commercial operation, or COD, this November, while Phase 2, also 48 megawatts, is set for COD the following year. The company aims to reach 300 megawatts of total data centre capacity by 2030. As for rising gas prices, the company has completed negotiations with industrial customers on a new Gas Linking electricity pricing structure covering 400 megawatts out of a total of 800 megawatts, with another 400 megawatts still under negotiation. At the same time, the company is structuring its finances to keep its Net IBD/E ratio below 2.0 times, with a target of reducing it to 1.3 to 1.5 times.
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IEA Projects AI Data Center Power Demand to More Than Double by 2030
The International Energy Agency projects that electricity demand from AI data centers will more than double between 2024 and 2030, rising from 415 terawatt-hours to 945 terawatt-hours, with demand reaching 1,200 terawatt-hours by 2035, nearly triple the 2024 figure. The IEA noted that AI electricity demand in 2030 will exceed Japan's current power use, and data center electricity use has been growing at 12% per year since 2017, more than four times the overall rate of consumption growth. Among the companies positioned to benefit, Bloom Energy entered 2026 with a product backlog of $6 billion, up 140% over 2025's starting backlog, plus a service backlog of $14 billion. Constellation Energy, one of the largest operators of nuclear power plants in the United States, is already working with AI companies including Meta and Microsoft, while Cameco expects nuclear fuel demand to outstrip supply by the mid-2030s. NextEra Energy is doubling down on AI and data centers with its pending acquisition of Dominion Energy, which holds a monopoly in one of the world's largest data center markets.
American Electric Power Files Updated Niagara Project Documents With FERC
American Electric Power Company has filed updated technical and digital documentation for the Niagara Project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The submission covers refreshed engineering details and digital system information tied to the Niagara Project's regulatory review, and supports ongoing federal oversight of the project as part of the broader approval and compliance process. The next thing to watch is how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission responds to the updated Supporting Technical Information Document and Digital Project Archives, including any follow-up data requests or conditions that could affect project timing and, by extension, when American Electric Power Company can place Niagara-related investment into its regulated rate base. The filing reinforces the company's existing narrative that management is active on regulatory files and large grid projects, and supports the idea that regulatory work is a key catalyst for its US$78b capital plan and transmission build, which analysts link to future earnings and load growth. The update does not address the broader financial risk flagged in the data, where interest costs and dividend coverage already look tight, leaving investors without clarity on how new project spending will sit alongside those constraints.
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