Overview
- PJM projected an unprecedented seven-day run above 130,000 megawatts with a forecast peak of about 147.2 gigawatts on Jan. 27.
- The Department of Energy authorized PJM and ERCOT to direct data centers to run on backup power and to allow plants to exceed pollution limits if needed to prevent blackouts.
- PJM says supply has been sufficient so far and it has not used emissions waivers, while asking generators to delay nonessential maintenance and large users to be ready to switch to backups.
- Analysts reported more than 20 gigawatts of unplanned outages during the storm, concluding that gas, coal, and oil units were a significant part of the shortfalls.
- Wholesale prices surged, with the Ohio Hub spiking to roughly $666 per megawatt-hour and parts of Maryland and Virginia topping $1,000, even as data centers were not ultimately told to start generators over the weekend.