Major electric grid operator PJM warns of record power demand as heat continues

An electric power grid operator, PJM, which serves 13 states, including Ohio, warned electric demand will “approach record levels” over the next few days as temperatures soar to highs not seen in more than a decade.

The company asked for and received assistance from the Department of Energy “to allow local utilities to direct data centers and other large load customers to use backup generation if necessary to avoid outages for residential and other customers,” PJM saId.

Temperatures on Thursday were expected to hit the highest levels since 2014, the company said in a statement, with little relief expected today.

“PJM’s coordinated summer preparations with our local utility partners include scenarios at and above the PJM record demand of approximately 165,500 MW set in 2006, with continued high temperatures Friday and Saturday but lower power demand forecast due to the holiday weekend,” PJM said.

Although temperatures will remain high today and Saturday, the Fourth of July weekend is expected to lower demand, PJM said.

“We have sufficient resources to serve this level of electricity use if the generation fleet and transmission system perform as expected,” it said.

“We will continue to work closely with all of our partners, including generation and transmission owners, to keep the power flowing during this heat wave,” it said.

The company also activated its Pre-Emergency Demand Response program.

“In simple terms, demand response or load management customers are paid to reduce their electricity consumption to ease demand during critical periods,” PJM spokesman Dan Lockwood told The Center Square. 

“Demand Response has been active in PJM for many years and used most recently during other recent hot and cold weather events, including the May heat spell and Winter Storm Fern in January,” the company said.

Data centers have been criticized for potentially overloading the power grid during times of extreme weather.

“With the rise of artificial intelligence, the size, complexity, and cost of data centers have increased dramatically because AI needs a lot of computing power,” the Ohio Public Utilities Commission says on its website. “Data centers being built also use a lot of electricity, need strong cooling systems, and take up space.”

However, the commission pointed to a report by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that states data centers account for only 4.4% of electricity consumption in the U.S. in 2023.