Energy Department Issues Emergency Orders for Mid-Atlantic Power Grid Amid Heat Wave
The order lets PJM tap backup power and extra generation to avert blackouts as demand is forecast to hit 166.3 gigawatts.
- On Thursday, PJM Interconnection, the nation's largest regional grid operator, is forecasting record summer electricity demand of 166.3 gigawatts for Thursday evening, surpassing the 2006 record of 165.6 gigawatts.
- Over 250 million Americans face extreme conditions as a heat wave stretches from the Midwest to the East Coast, with 'feels-like' temperatures expected to reach 100 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit across much of the region.
- Data centers currently consume roughly 4.5 percent of U.S. electricity, while high temperatures reduce coal plant efficiency, according to Nikhil Kumar, program director of Gridlab. "Some coal plants in particular have efficiency issues and capacity losses due to high temperatures," Kumar said.
- The United States Department of Energy triggered an emergency across PJM, while New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the deployment of more than a dozen "cool vans" and opened hundreds of cooling centers for residents.
- Expanding AI infrastructure creates long-term grid vulnerability, as Mishal Thadani, CEO of AI platform Rhizome, noted that data centers require significant energy precisely when grid supply is tightest, with facilities pulling as much power as 100,000 homes.
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Feds: Data centers must use generators to preserve power, prevent blackouts during heat wave demand
The federal government issued a special emergency order to keep much of the U.S. power grid operating ahead of extreme heat over the holiday weekend, but Duke Energy said it is not worried about meeting demand.
PJM Power Grid Mobilizes Against Heat Wave Stress | Science-Environment
PJM, the largest U.S. power grid operator, has activated emergency measures to cope with stress from an intense heat dome affecting 67 million people. This includes running generators at full capacity and reducing electricity demand to avoid outages. These steps aim to prevent severe disruptions in energy supply.
US heat wave strains grid
A heat wave gripping the US this week is putting pressure on an already-strained energy grid. As Americans crank up their air conditioners, the country’s largest grid operator forecast that electricity demand could break records, raising the risk of blackouts. The situation is a “five-alarm fire,” said the head of an energy-focused nonprofit, given that the sector is also grappling with depleted reservoirs, wildfires, and a spike in energy deman…
Energy Dept. directs data centers to use backup generators during heat wave, freeing up power for AC
As a punishing heatwave bakes major East Coast cities, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed data centers in the mid-Atlantic this week to use their backup power supplies instead of using electricity from the public grid, in part to ensure there was enough electricity to power resident air conditioning.
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