Largest US power grid PJM escalates emergency actions to avoid blackouts

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Reuters

July 3, 2026 2:46 PM EDT Updated 36 mins ago


July 3 (Reuters) - Largest ​U.S. power grid operator PJM said ‌on Friday it was under a federal alert to cut electricity consumption across its ​territory as it battled generator outages, ​massive overloading on its transmission lines ⁠and a surge in air conditioning ​use from prolonged sweltering heat.

PJM said it ​told utilities to reduce electricity to customers who are under contract to reduce consumption during ​emergencies.

PJM serves 67 million people ​in the Mid-Atlantic, South and Washington, D.C., area.

Spot ‌wholesale ⁠electricity prices in northern Virginia, home to the largest collection of data centers in the world, have surged beyond $2,000 ​per megawatt ​hour this ⁠week. That compares to about $40 per MWh when PJM ​is not in distress.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/largest-us-power-grid-pjm-says-it-is-no-longer-able-provide-expected-energy-2026-07-03/

[Blues Heron]

1. I was contemplating the sheer number of lights on at closed businesses last night, its insane they are allowed to waste

Its a serious disease in this country. Everything is lit - every shelf in the store, every sign above businesses that are closed, lights everywhere. Entire buildings lit up with decorative lights. Offices lit all night for no reason. Its psychotic. Meanwhile the grid is being overwhelmed.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. The one thing that helps compared to the past

is that most of that lighting is LED, which uses much energy and provides more bang for the buck.

[Blues Heron]

7. True but that led to things being lit that never were before like individual shelves in grocery stores.

[walkingman]

2. We have a serious energy issue in the US and it will only get worse with

the influx of data centers and escalating Climate Change because of our reluctance to embrace sustainable power by our gooberment.

Instead of all these trillions we waste on meaningless wars, how about we invest in improving our grid, cleaning our air and water, and embrace 21st century solutions to our problems.

[pat_k]

3. From Capacity to Chaos: How AI Data Centers Challenge the Grid

Data centers are an f-ing nightmare

To protect the American people from the countless harms, a national moratorium until the problems can be addressed should be a priority for electeds and candidates.

https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/uptime/from-capacity-to-chaos-how-ai-data-centers-challenge-the-grid

AI data centers are challenging a core assumption about the grid: that large loads operate predictably. The issue is not only how much electricity these facilities require, but also how they behave during disturbances.

This risk became reality in 2024, when dozens of data centers in Northern Virginia dropped off the grid in a single event, instantly removing roughly 1,500 MW of load, according to Reuters.

In this instance, grid operators moved quickly to stabilize the system and avoid broader outages. However, regulators have warned that the grid is not designed to withstand the sudden loss of such large blocks of demand.

The US is experiencing its fastest sustained growth in electricity demand in decades, with the Energy Information Administration projecting annual increases of roughly 2% through 2027, largely driven by data centers.

In regions like PJM, load forecasts show a sharp rise in peak demand with data centers accounting for a significant share of new load, while the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has reported rapid growth in large-load interconnection requests tied to data center development.

Together, those trends point to a system under new strain – not just from the amount of power required, but also from how quickly large loads can change.

From Steady Load to Sudden Swings
...

[Karasu]

4. Not sustainable. Especially thanks to data centers.

[Journeyman]

6. And Republicans mocked Mamdani for encouraging energy conservation . . .

Mamdani mocked by GOP for telling New Yorkers to set thermostats to 78