US Largest Grid Updates Emergency Plan as AI Stretches Capacity

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(Bloomberg) — The largest US power grid is creating a new emergency warning as surging data-center demand pushes electricity supplies toward shortages beyond periods of extreme weather.

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PJM Interconnection LLC, which serves 67 million people across 13 states, agreed Wednesday to add a new “capacity advisory” to warn customers when electricity supplies could become tight even without the extreme temperatures that have historically driven power shortages.

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“With the recent load growth and changing generation patterns, what we have seen already experienced is that we have gotten to capacity emergency type situations without meeting the triggers for a hot or cold weather alert,” said Paul Dajewski, a senior manager at PJM. “We want to make sure that we have enough generation.”

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The move is the latest sign of how grid operators are overhauling procedures to cope with surging power demand from data centers that are needed to power artificial intelligence. Reliability concerns that were largely tied to heat waves and cold snaps are increasingly emerging at other times of the year as demand for electricity outstrips supply.

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PJM, home to “data center alley” in Northern Virginia, plans to issue such capacity advisories three to five days in advance of a potential emergency situation, which could prompt power plants to reschedule maintenance and alert other regional grid operators to expect fewer imports.

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The grid operator also agreed to provide enhanced use of back-up generators in emergency situations, pending authorization from the Department of Energy. Last month, in response to high temperatures, PJM issued an emergency load-management alert, asking power plants to brace for high demand.

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