Appendix: electrostates in the wild
Iceland and Norway are the two most electrified economies on the Index, at roughly double China's rate. Unfortunately for everyone else, they owe that status mostly to geological fortune rather than to construction.
| Population | Generation | Sovereignty | Electrification | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iceland | 389,000 | 19.6 TWh | 83% | 51% |
| Norway | 5.6m | 158.5 TWh | >100% | 52% |
| China (2025) | 1.41bn | ~10,600 TWh | 79% | 29% |
| China (2049E) | — | 25,000 TWh | 93% | 60% |
Not that their governments were passive. Both have made rational energy policy for decades and continue to. But the model cannot be copied.
Iceland runs on geothermal and hydro. Norway runs on hydro and produces nearly eight times the energy it consumes.
The data centers found these strongholds a decade before the AI build: cheap energy, free cooling, plentiful land. Then Landsvirkjun began curtailing supply to large industrial users, and the OECD's 2025 survey of Iceland recommended fast-tracking approvals for new generation because demand had outrun it. The most completely electrified sovereign grid on Earth has no more electricity to sell.
Chinese demand grew 630 TWh in 2024. That is 32 Icelands, or one every 11 days.