The largest US grid says it will cut power to big data centres during shortages

PJM Interconnection, whose territory runs from Virginia to Illinois and covers 67 million customers, will curtail supply to data centres and other large users during power shortages after an auction for new generating capacity fell short. Curtailment starts in June 2027 and applies only to sites of 50 megawatts or larger; affected customers are compensated and typically get 30 minutes to a few days' notice. TechCrunch notes the likely response is more on-site generation and diesel backup, and that PJM's own market monitor has blamed data centres for much of the past year's rise in wholesale electricity prices.

What it means Electricity has stopped being an assumption and become a scheduled constraint - anyone planning capacity in that footprint now has an interruption window to design around.