Heat wave puts US power grids on alert as AI lifts demand

US power grid operators are preparing for a sharp test as a dangerous heat wave drives up demand for air conditioning across much of the central and eastern United States. Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that the strain comes as electricity use is already rising because of data centers, electric vehicles and other new loads.

Forecasters expect the extreme heat to build through the week and peak from Tuesday to Thursday, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The hot spell is also expected to stretch into the Fourth of July weekend, one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Temperatures are forecast to exceed 38 degrees Celsius, or 100 degrees Fahrenheit, from Boston to Washington, DC, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. Humidity could push the heat index to 46 degrees Celsius, or 114 Fahrenheit, in some areas, while warm nights are expected to limit relief.

The heat coincides with two high-profile events, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. Saturday’s holiday marks the 250th anniversary of US independence, with large gatherings expected for barbecues, parades and fireworks, while the FIFA World Cup has reached the knockout stage in host cities including New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.

Grid operators brace for peak demand

PJM Interconnection, the largest regional grid operator in the United States, is forecasting a record summer evening demand of 166.3 gigawatts on Thursday, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. That would top the summer peak set in 2006.

The New York Independent System Operator expects demand in New York to approach record levels, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which serves 15 states in the Midwest and South, could also see its demand record challenged.

MISO officials said they will rely on PJM for support in meeting customer needs, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. Grid operators often depend on transfers between regions during periods of high demand, but heat across a wide area can reduce the amount of spare power available.

In a May report cited by Al Jazeera and Reuters, PJM executives warned of a mismatch between fast-growing demand and the time required to build and connect new electricity supply. The executives said new power plants now take twice as long to build and cost twice as much as they did 10 years ago.

Data centers add pressure

PJM said in May that hyperscale data centers were adding electricity load at an unprecedented pace, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The report linked the pressure on the grid to new technologies including data centers and electric vehicles.

Experts cited by Al Jazeera and Reuters say the growth of artificial intelligence is intersecting with climate change because systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude run through large data centers that use substantial power. Hyperscale facilities can require 100 to 300 megawatts of electricity, enough to serve hundreds of thousands of homes, according to the report.

Many of those facilities are concentrated in northern Virginia, which sits inside PJM’s service territory and is widely described as the world’s largest data center hub, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. Researchers cited in the report have also identified a “data heat island effect,” finding average land surface temperature increases of 2 degrees Celsius around AI data centers, with increases up to 9 degrees Celsius in some places.

The National Weather Service warned that long periods of extreme heat put significant stress on the body. It urged people to limit outdoor activity, drink water and stay near air conditioning or cooling centers.

A 2024 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association found 21,518 heat-related deaths in the United States from 1999 to 2023. JAMA reported that 2023 had the highest annual total in that period, with 2,325 deaths attributed to high temperatures.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.