US Heatwave Sparks Grid Emergency for 160 Mn Residents

A severe heatwave across the US has put around 160 million people in 30 states on alert, triggering an urgent federal intervention to protect the electrical grid, according to an ABC News report.

Prolonged extreme heat is currently baking the East Coast, the Midwest and the South. US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright declared an energy emergency on Tuesday.

He ordered the PJM Interconnection, the nation's largest electrical grid, located in the Mid-Atlantic region, to avert power outages and maintain full operations at critical facilities such as hospitals.

"Maintaining affordable, reliable, and secure power in the PJM service territory is non-negotiable," Wright said in a statement.

Grid Faces Record Demand

The emergency declaration remains effective from 11:59 pm on Tuesday to 11:59 pm on Friday local time. Wright instructed the grid operator to curtail power supply to data centres that have power generation capabilities, along with additional non-critical sites that consume massive amounts of power.

PJM serves approximately 65 million customers across Delaware, Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, Michigan, New Jersey, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Washington DC.

The grid operator anticipates an unprecedented peak load of roughly 166,304 megawatts, representing the average total demand in a single hour, this Thursday, which would eclipse the prior high mark established in 2006.

A University of Houston energy expert, Ramanan Krishnamoorti, told ABC News, "It's going to really strain the grid," adding, "I think we’re going to see peak demand that is going to be a record across different geographical areas."

This severe weather aligns with the nation's 250th Independence Day festivities. The expert noted the impact of the holiday, stating that "Everybody is going to be home for the July 4th weekend, and because of that, you’re going to see, I think, a significant load on the grid."

He explained to ABC News that "Residential cooling is going to be the dominant source of where the demand is going to come, and it's going to be pretty significant through the afternoon to late evening period."

Both the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) and the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) also anticipate peak usage in the coming days.

New York Urges Caution

Local authorities are advising residents to limit outdoor exposure. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani advised locals to stay indoors to avoid the severe temperatures.

"My recommendation to all New Yorkers is to stay inside and stay cool...And if you happen to be getting married at Madison Square Garden, you will be staying inside, and you will be staying cool. And I think it’s a good example to set for the city at large when it comes to these temperatures," Mamdani said during a media briefing.