PJM Grid Absorbs 3.49 GW Surplus as Data Centers Trigger 11-Minute Instability
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Jul 25
PJM Grid Absorbs 3.49 GW Surplus as Data Centers Trigger 11-Minute Instability
1 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Jul 25
Summary
A failed power line outside Washington sent more than 3 gigawatts of data-center demand off PJM’s grid, leaving a 3.49-gigawatt power surplus and taking 11 minutes to stabilize.
PJM data showed about 3.1 gigawatts of load vanished in roughly 30 seconds as Northern Virginia facilities switched to backup power almost simultaneously, turning a routine disturbance into a regionwide voltage spike and light flicker.
That disconnected load was about 3% of PJM demand at the time, enough to upset the grid’s tight supply-demand balance across a system serving 67 million customers from New Jersey to Illinois.
Experts said clustered data centers need to disconnect or reconnect sequentially—or ride through disturbances—because similar events are becoming more common as data-center demand grows.
The surge was roughly twice a 2024 PJM event that shed 1.5 gigawatts; data centers were about 6% of PJM load then and are projected to reach 24% by 2040.