PJM Power Grid Nears 20-Year Demand Record as Heat Wave and Data Center Growth Converge
By
Michael Kern
Summary
PJM Interconnection, America's largest power grid serving 67 million people across 13 states and D.C., nearly broke a 20-year demand record as a severe heat wave pushed demand to ~163 GW on Thursday, just shy of the 2006 peak of 165,563 MW. The surge is attributed to both extreme heat and growing electricity demand from data centers, highlighting the strain on aging infrastructure from the collision of climate-driven weather events and tech industry expansion.
Source
bskyPJM Power Grid Nears 20-Year Demand Record as Heat Wave and Data Center Growth Convergeoilprice.comKey quotes
· 2 pulledPJM Interconnection, which delivers power to 67 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C., saw electricity demand surge to roughly 163 gigawatts on Thursday as a brutal heat dome pushed heat indices past 110 degrees from Washington to New York.
That fell just short of the grid's 2006 all-time peak of 165,563 megawatts, even after PJM had forecast Thursday's load could top 166,000 MW.
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