The Russian Ministry of Energy considers it expedient to build data centers for artificial intelligence in Siberian regions where there are sufficient energy resources. TASS was informed about this by the ministry's press service.
The ministry plans to synchronize the General Scheme for Data Center Placement and the General Scheme for Power Generation Facilities Placement until 2042, and to categorize data centers by load type. For AI data centers, response speed is not critical, so it is logical to locate them in Siberian regions – at coal basin cuts or decommissioned gas fields.
Free capacities for small data centers of 30 MW are available in the Urals and on the Volga: they will be connected promptly, while facilities of 200–300 MW require significant infrastructure solutions. Rosatom is working on placing large data centers near nuclear power plants.
According to materials from the P. A. Stolypin Institute of Growth Economics, the energy base of Eastern Siberia allows for the creation of several data centers with a maximum capacity of up to 200 MW each and their integration into a single network. Deputy Minister of Energy Pyotr Konyushenko estimates the capacity of data centers connected to the Russian grid at approximately 5 GW.
According to "System Operator" data, the share of data centers in electricity consumption increased from 1.4% in 2022 to 2.2% in 2025, will reach 2.4% in 2026, and in five years, the consumed capacity of such centers could reach 15.3 GW.
Read more on the topic:
- Locating data centers in Siberia will help avoid energy problems, according to the Stolypin Institute
- Ministry of Energy Estimates Energy Needs for AI Data Centers at 2-2.5 GW by 2030
- Data Centers, Money, and Backbone Networks: How Direct Connection to the UES Will Affect Energy and Digital Infrastructure