But investment also likely supports the industry’s broader grid reliability goals, particularly given that many utilities rely on natural gas networks for winter peak supply and to balance intermittent renewable generation. EEI suggests 91 GW of new generating capacity is currently under construction, and an additional 488 GW is planned or has been proposed for the next five years. Utah, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Tennessee account for more than 70% of these planned natural gas additions. The grid operator said it called on pre-emergency demand response for the Baltimore Gas and Electric, Dominion and Potomac Electric Power Co. areas on Monday to address local transmission constraints and to preserve the run-time of generators that will be needed for the hot weather and higher electricity demand expected on Tuesday and Wednesday. “The employment of this backup generation is expected to reduce stress on the grid,” the DOE said.
“Collaboration between industry and government partners would allow for a better understanding of the concerns that asset owner or operators maintain related to drones and how the government can support asset owner or operators during impending and active threats,” it said. Hundreds of organizations stress-tested emergency preparedness protocols and game-planned responses to hypothetical scenarios. That helped keep the lights on Tuesday, when ERCOT appeared to set a new peak demand record of 85,559 MW. Vistra’s stock price increased about 14.5% to $79.10/share Wednesday morning. Vistra cleared 10,255 MW at a weighted average clearing price of $273.45/MW-day the Irving, Texas-based company said in an SEC filing Tuesday. Projects totaling about 38,000 MW have cleared PJM’s interconnection queue but have not been built due to challenges such as financing, supply chain, and siting and permitting issues, according to the grid operator.
While potential capacity gains are presented individually by technology, benefits cannot be stacked additively, as several solutions address the same thermal, voltage or congestion constraints. Alongside updating regulatory frameworks, significant grid capacity can be also unlocked in the near term by applying various grid-enhancing technologies. These mechanisms help ensure that scarce capacity is allocated efficiently, prioritising the highest‑value and most deliverable projects while reallocating capacity from projects unlikely to proceed. In parallel, grid capacity auctions, stricter requirements for obtaining and retaining grid capacity, and faster processing of connection requests can contribute to more effective management of grid connection queues.
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The alert, Computational Load Modeling, Studies, Instrumentation, Commissioning, Operations, Protection, and Control, outlines seven actions registered entities should implement to address “immediate risks posed by computational loads interfacing with the BPS.” When large electrical loads, like data centers, come offline quickly, bad things can happen to the power grid. NERC’s primary UAS recommendation resulting from GridEx was for U.S. and Canadian federal government https://labverra.com/authors/dr.-neelesh-rao/ partners to “work with industry partners to identify legally accessible technology to address threats from UAS and clarify available government support.” The rate proposal is not motivated by increased energy demand from data centers, the company said. “We are considering ways to accelerate those who can successfully overcome those challenges and build.”
- The requirement for traditional data centers to supply uninterrupted compute means they have previously been treated by grid operators as uncompromising sources of power demand.
- As AI continues to proliferate, planned expansion of U.S. data centers may move more rapidly than new power generation can be brought online, creating a gap in infrastructure development to meet demand.
- Since many power plants in Texas rely on natural gas as a fuel source, the state’s natural gas supply chain is critical to the flow of electricity.
- Generally, operating income rose 2.4% to $88.6 billion, while net income increased 4.5% to $54.6 billion.
- As energy demand surges from data centers, AI, manufacturing, and transportation, DOE’s early-stage R&D is enabling a more reliable and cost-effective grid.
Power demands from data centers
« There’s about 18 gigawatts under construction that are expected to be completed by the end of , » Adams said. The “continuing credit window” for storage and its ability to help data centers ensure uninterrupted power support its continued integration, said Keith Adams, Deloitte’s U.S. renewable energy leader. This trend is likely to continue as large loads like data centers are either incentivized or, increasingly, required to be flexible and dial back usage during times of peak demand or grid insecurity. Some hyperscalers and utilities are exploring ways for data centers and other large loads to connect to the grid faster by agreeing to flex during the few hours or days each year a system reaches peak demand. Manufacturing accounts for another 30 gigawatts, or about 20%, with the remainder coming from building and transportation electrification, plus mining and other loads.
- New federal data shows solar and battery assets will comprise nearly 80% of all new utility-scale power additions planned for the U.S. electric grid this year.
- Empower your workforce with future-ready skills and AI-driven learning to unlock performance, adaptability and growth.
- The auction results will likely spur power plant developers to build generation in PJM’s footprint, according to the Electric Power Supply Association.
- Li said the biggest challenge during the construction phase to date has been maintaining uninterruptible power supply (UPS) while accounting for all potential risks.
Future in focus: Utilities are expected to transform to deliver flexibility
For three days starting on Tuesday, PJM expected its peak load to hit 134,027 MW, 135,961 MW and 119,103 MW. “This will permit orderly, safe, and secure https://bandlybands.com/narkes-elektriska/ operations during PJM’s hot weather conditions.” “The projected level of generation outages coupled with the forecasted demand raises a significant risk of emergency conditions that could jeopardize electric reliability and public safety,” PJM said.
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Georgia Power filters a large-load pipeline before it enters the forecast, Duke Energy tests transmission plans against multiple possible futures, and Dominion Energy separates commercial commitment from engineering analysis before committing infrastructure. “The pace, size, and uncertainty of large-load requests, especially from data centers and computational-related demand, are forcing utilities and planners to use a broader range of tools.” The appendix also evaluates technologies including virtual inertia, grid-forming inverters and synchronous condensers as planners assess how a changing generation mix could affect future system reliability. Its transmission appendix examines whether the future grid will remain reliable once those customers arrive. The company categorizes prospective data center customers by engineering agreements, construction agreements, and binding electric service agreements rather than treating every proposed project as equally likely to materialize.
Many utilities are now also planning new natural gas generation capacity in addition to renewable capacity to keep pace with growing demand.” EEI members appear to be watching strong demand growth from data centers with caution. The historic surge in capital spending follows decades of incremental, maintenance-driven investment that plugged critical gaps without realigning the grid’s interconnected layers. EEI notes that while the gas-related infrastructure category covers natural gas delivery and pipeline infrastructure, it does not cover gas-fired electric generation. For now, distribution is set to remain the single largest spending category, accounting for about one-third ($66.5 billion) of this year’s total, while generation surges to 30% ($62.4 billion)—its highest share in more than a decade.
- NERC has also noted multiple “customer-initiated large load reductions” in the Texas and Eastern Interconnection grids; data centers and cryptocurrency miners unexpectedly became disconnected during minor voltage dips.
- It is an ecosystem of asset owners, manufacturers, service providers, and government officials at Federal, state, and local levels, all working together to run one of the most reliable electrical grids in the world.
- An EU study found that, by applying “grid-enhancing technologies” like DLR, operators could increase overall network capacity by as much as 40 percent, in theory clearing room for data centers and other large sources of power demand to connect.
- For now, distribution is set to remain the single largest spending category, accounting for about one-third ($66.5 billion) of this year’s total, while generation surges to 30% ($62.4 billion)—its highest share in more than a decade.
- Utilities that set the pace will be those that embed financial, operational, and digital flexibility into their playbooks—delivering capacity where and when it’s needed while safeguarding affordability.
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