The US Department of Energy has authorised the operator of a regional electricity grid serving 13 states and Washington, DC to direct data centres and other large power users to switch to backup generation as a last resort during a four-day emergency period.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued the order on 12 October after PJM Interconnection forecast demand of around 111,500 megawatts or more on 13 October, with 61,591 megawatts of generating capacity expected to be unavailable. PJM also warned that available capacity could come within 900 megawatts of its reserve margin on 14 October.
