February 19, 2025--Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Even without the rise of the energy demand from an increasing number of data centers, the European Union's (EU) electricity costs would be astronomical. That's partly due to the loss of Russian natural gas with which to generate power due to that nation's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting trade embargoes and sanctions.

In November 2024, Reuters reported that "Wholesale power prices across key economies in mainland Europe have climbed to their highest levels in over a year," and that was before the winter heating season, in which energy demand in those cold climes tends to reach its yearly peak.