Heat wave, data centers’ huge demand push regional power grid to the brink
During a severe heat wave, the Mid-Atlantic's PJM electrical grid faced unprecedented demand, nearly reaching its all-time record, primarily driven by air conditioning and data centers in Northern Virginia. Although emergency warnings were issued and the U.S. Department of Energy authorized potential disconnections, data centers were not ordered to switch to their diesel generators. The City of Manassas activated its auxiliary generators to help stabilize the grid.
The Mid-Atlantic's PJM electrical grid was pushed to the brink on Thursday, July 2, as soaring temperatures combined with the unprecedented electricity demand from data centers nearly maxed out the regional power supply across 13 states. While PJM's emergency procedures dashboard lit up with numerous alerts and warnings, data centers were ultimately not ordered to disconnect from the grid and rely on their air-polluting diesel generators.
PJM had predicted a new record for power demand, but the peak of 162,569 megawatts, recorded between 5 and 6 p.m. on Thursday, fell just short of the 2006 record. Daniel Lockwood, a PJM spokesman, confirmed that despite a "Transmission Security - Emergency Use of Back-Up Generator Warning" being issued, the directive for utilities like Dominion Energy to prepare to cut data centers from the grid was never executed.
In response to the grid strain, the U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order on June 30, authorizing PJM to take necessary steps, including directing data centers to use their generators, to prevent blackouts. PJM subsequently created a new emergency procedure, though it wasn't deployed. The City of Manassas, an independent city in Virginia, activated its 31 diesel generators from 1:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Thursday to reduce its power draw from the regional system, an action confirmed by Assistant City Manager Ana Davis as a "normal operational response" to PJM requests.
Residents, particularly in Prince William and Loudoun counties, which host hundreds of data centers, expressed concerns about potential power outages or the activation of noisy, polluting diesel generators. Elena Schlossberg, executive director of the Coalition to Protect Prince William County, voiced fears of both, highlighting years of fighting data center development in the region.