America's largest power grid was warned that new data centers were exacerbating an energy crisis that is now risking blackouts in 13 states.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) declared an emergency on Tuesday as it temporarily relaxed pollution rules in a desperate scramble to keep the lights on for millions of Americans.

It comes as PJM Interconnection has faced an onslaught of electricity demand from data centers, which the grid operator forecasts will triple by 2030 to about 29 gigawatts in its Midwest and Mid-Atlantic territory. 

The utility firm manages electricity for residents in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington DC, serving 67 million people.

The rising demand has butted up against years of dwindling net electricity supplies in the region, contributing to a more than 1,000 percent increase in capacity costs since 2024 and a 6.8 gigawatt shortfall that could lead to blackouts. 

By 2030, the utility is likely to face a 'loss of load expectation' – the anticipated number of days or hours per year when a power grid's electricity demand exceeds its available generation capacity – between six and 100 times worse than the grid operator had planned for, according to a study commissioned by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. 

Only under a scenario with no new data centers would PJM be able to meet its expectations, the study found.

'This analysis sends a clear warning: electricity demand and supply are moving out of balance and the status quo is not sustainable,' Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Chairman Steve DeFrank told Utility Drive, as he urged the power supplier to take immediate action.

Joseph Bowring, president of Monitoring Analytics, the grid operator's independent market monitor, echoed that warning.

'PJM is continuing to act like it's business as usual,' he told the outlet in July. 'You have to open your eyes and recognize that it really is a paradigm shift and failing to do that imposes costs on the other customers.'

In a desperate attempt to manage data center demand, PJM Interconnection submitted a proposal to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) under which it could cut power to massive new data center customers to avoid blackouts when it is facing an energy shortage.

'PJM is continuing to act like it's business as usual,' he told the outlet in July. 'You have to open your eyes and recognize that it really is a paradigm shift and failing to do that imposes costs on the other customers.'

But on Friday, the commission rejected the proposal, ruling that the Federal Power Act leaves the issue up to the states, The Hill reports. 

FERC said that PJM could submit a revised curtailment plan but would need to address various issues, including why data centers would be temporarily shut off from the grid before other large energy users. 

However, the commission approved another aspect of the proposal, allowing PJM Interconnection to begin building a database of data centers, for which very few details about energy use have been provided to the grid. 

That database could now help the grid plan for the growth of data centers by revealing details about facilities like energy providers, in-service dates and power ramping-up schedules, as well as backup generation, fuel sources and location. 

PJM spokesman Jeff Shields told The Hill the grid operator is now 'reviewing the commission's order with an eye toward how we can fulfill FERC's requirements while recognizing the responsibilities FERC indicated belong to the states and honoring the concept that existing electricity customers should not be unfairly burdened by new, energy-intensive customers in the form of higher costs or decreased reliability.'

To help achieve that goal, Google and Constellation Energy announced last week a plan to bring 890 megawatts of new, reliable nuclear capacity onto the PJM Interconnection grid to help meet the growing demand.

It comes as nearly a dozen electric utilities submitted their proposals to the PJM Load Analysis Subcommittee mainly related to projects at data centers, according to Inspenet.

'Preserving and expanding the output of the existing nuclear fleet and developing new clean energy is critical to meeting our nation's growing energy needs while keeping costs affordable for homes and businesses,' said Joe Dominguez, president and CEO of Constellation. 

'This long-term clean energy collaboration with Google can serve as a model for how technology companies and the energy industry can work together to responsibly develop the digital economy and invest in our nation's energy infrastructure in a way that delivers grid-wide benefits for all, funded by private entities.'

The two companies hope to establish the first upgrade to the grid's capacity by 2028.

But in the meantime, the DOE issued a short-term emergency order allowing PJM Interconnection to push past normal pollution limits in an effort to keep the lights on for its 67 million customers.

The emergency order went into effect on Tuesday and is expected to last through Friday due to a sudden and unseasonably warm spike in temperatures.

Forecasters with AccuWeather have said temperatures in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic will jump into the 70s and 80s, including in all 13 states PJM covers. 

Officials feared that the sudden demand for power, as millions turn fans and air conditioners back on, might overtax PJM's grid, which had already shut down several power plants and transmission lines for seasonal repairs.

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said the move aimed at reducing the risk of widespread blackouts across the Mid-Atlantic during this week's heat blast.

Wright also blamed the Biden Administration for weakening the nation's electrical grid by restricting energy production using coal and natural gas in favor of intermittent sources like wind and solar, allegedly leaving the US more vulnerable to power outages.

'This order will help ensure millions of American families and businesses across the mid-Atlantic have access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity by making additional power generation, including backup power, available to use as needed,' Wright said in a statement.

The secretary also slammed the previous DOE leadership group for allegedly placing the country in a dire position that depends on less reliable forms of energy for electricity. 

'While past leaders’ energy subtraction policies have made the grid more vulnerable to the risk of blackouts when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow, this administration remains committed to using every available tool to prevent blackouts,' he added.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, PJM Interconnection said: 'The conditions we have seen in both September and October reflect the reality that PJM and other grid operators are facing: increased baseload electricity demand is growing faster than new capacity can come onto the system; and unpredictable weather patterns are providing fewer days to perform important maintenance or construction on the generation and transmission equipment serving our footprint. 

'This is the new reality that grid operators are facing, but PJM is confident that our procedures, along with the DOE orders, gives us additional tools to maintain our reserve margins and allow us to operate reliably. 

'Planned maintenance season will continue to present risks that we formerly faced only in Summer and Winter. PJM is working with state and federal policymakers to address these conditions by increasing supply on multiple fronts, including speeding the connection of new electricity supply and removing state permitting barriers that are outside of PJM’s jurisdiction.'