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NEW YORK, Sept 17 (Reuters) – US electric grid operator PJM Interconnection called on large energy consumers across 13 states to curb consumption on Thursday, as high temperatures stoked power demand and risked blackouts.
PJM runs the biggest regional electric grid in the US and covers the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. It said its system had about 36,000 megawatts of power generation outages, shrinking the availability of electricity supplies.
The “demand response” program that PJM activated pays participating customers to temporarily reduce or cut power when called upon, to address rolling blackouts.
Above-average temperatures raise demand from homes and businesses using cooling systems, straining supplies just as transmission and power plant operators are entering maintenance season.
Surging demand in PJM, which controls the flow of electricity to one in five Americans in its region, has outpaced the addition of new electricity supplies in recent years and tightened energy margins.
The US Department of Energy also granted PJM’s request to temporarily wave environmental permit restrictions for certain power plants and allow energy-intensive data centers to switch to backup generators, which can be more polluting than other electricity sources.
PJM services the world’s biggest data center hub in northern Virginia, known as “Data Center Alley,” and burgeoning new hubs in states like Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The operator said it may also curtail exports as part of its emergency measures, noting weather is ever hotter for neighboring systems to the south and west.
Reporting by Laila Kearney in New York; additional reporting by Timothy McLaughlin; Editing by Jonathan Spicer
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