PJM Interconnection LLC, which serves 67 million people across 13 states from the District of Columbia to Chicago, reported that demand on July 2 likely exceeded the previous record of 165.563 gigawatts set in August 2006.
This severe heat wave has pushed temperatures into the triple digits for many American cities. The Great American State Fair—a two-week celebration of patriotic-themed events along the National Mall—closed for several hours Friday due to the soaring temperatures, though activities are expected to resume in the evening, as stated by event organizers on social media.
The intense heat highlights how increasingly extreme temperatures are altering American life and the systems that support it. Over 197 million people from Kansas to Maine were under extreme heat warnings or advisories on Friday, according to the US Weather Prediction Center.
The heat is arriving just before the July 4 festivities for America’s 250th birthday, coinciding with a busy World Cup football weekend, prompting homes and businesses to ramp up power consumption to stay cool. New Jersey Transit reported suspensions in some rail services due to equipment issues caused by the extreme temperatures.
Even prior to this latest extreme heat event, US power grids were grappling with a surge in data center construction that has disrupted two decades of stagnant power demand. This situation makes them even more vulnerable to outages during extreme temperature swings, impacting everything from residential air conditioning to hospital lighting.
Consolidated Edison Co., which operates New York City’s electric utility, announced Friday that it temporarily cut power to nearly 10,000 customers in southwest Queens due to equipment issues resulting from the heat and high power demand. Earlier, it had urged tens of thousands of customers to conserve energy, resulting in reduced voltages.
Customers were advised to refrain from using washers, dryers, and microwaves, and to operate only one air conditioner if they had two, according to the utility’s statement.
“Today is expected to be quite oppressive,” said Frank Pereira, a senior branch forecaster at the center, who noted “well-above-normal temperatures from the Plains and Midwest all the way to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.”
The PJM grid, home to “data-center alley” in Northern Virginia, issued a series of emergency alerts this week as temperatures rose. The Department of Energy mandated that all generation units operate at maximum capacity, including backup sources, to avert blackouts. This marks the second time this summer the department has had to take such action.
Despite these measures, demand appears to have attained a new record, with an official figure pending a 60-day period needed to assess the performance of its demand response resources. Data from Thursday indicated that the instantaneous load was approximately 162.7 gigawatts between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., although that figure had been suppressed.
It had previously indicated that a record this summer was “unlikely, but plausible.”
Temperatures in Central Park reached 98°F on Friday afternoon, following the city’s hottest day since 2012 when the mercury hit 100°F. Unbearable heat and humidity are forecast for the city and much of the eastern US through the weekend.
While electricity consumption is expected to ease slightly on Friday due to holiday travel, cooling demands are likely to surge again as hot and humid weather continues. The risk of failures at power plants or other critical infrastructure increases with sustained high demand.
A record demand on PJM would indicate it is operating at over 90% of its capacity. However, some generation capacity was lost as temperatures rose, leading to approximately 9.5 gigawatts of outages in the mid-Atlantic, including those at data centers in Northern Virginia. One gigawatt equals the output of a conventional nuclear reactor.
This latest strain may intensify calls for overhauling the nation’s grids, not only to add new generating capacity but also to ensure adequate flexibility. Prices in certain regions of PJM surged to over $2,500 per megawatt hour this week.
“We need to view grid flexibility as part of standard operations, not just as a response to crises,” remarked Jigar Shah, a former official at the US Department of Energy.
