[DM] America's largest power grid was warned that new data centers were exacerbating an energy crisis that is now risking blackouts in 13 states.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) declared an emergency on Tuesday as it temporarily relaxed pollution rules in a desperate scramble to keep the lights on for millions of Americans.
It comes as PJM Interconnection has faced an onslaught of electricity demand from data centers, which the grid operator forecasts will triple by 2030 to about 29 gigawatts in its Midwest and Mid-Atlantic territory.
The utility firm manages electricity for residents in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington DC, serving 67 million people.
The rising demand has butted up against years of dwindling net electricity supplies in the region, contributing to a more than 1,000 percent increase in capacity costs since 2024 and a 6.8 gigawatt shortfall that could lead to blackouts.
By 2030, the utility is likely to face a 'loss of load expectation' – the anticipated number of days or hours per year when a power grid's electricity demand exceeds its available generation capacity – between six and 100 times worse than the grid operator had planned for, according to a study commissioned by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
Only under a scenario with no new data centers would PJM be able to meet its expectations, the study found.
'This analysis sends a clear warning: electricity demand and supply are moving out of balance and the status quo is not sustainable,' Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Chairman Steve DeFrank told Utility Drive, as he urged the power supplier to take immediate action. |