Grid operators have warned that the U.S. heat wave could push electricity demand near record levels before Independence Day.
U.S. power grid operators have warned that the dangerous heat wave could put further stress on a grid already under pressure from soaring energy consumption.
The heatwave is expected to intensify in many parts of the central and eastern parts of the country this week, reaching its peak between Tuesday and Thursday.
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The heat wave is likely to continue into the busiest travel weekend of the year as millions of Americans prepare for Independence Day on Saturday.
Temperatures are expected to exceed 38 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Fahrenheit) from Boston to Washington, D.C. this week, increasing demand for air conditioning.
This heatwave coincides with two major events on the U.S. calendar. Saturday’s holiday commemorates the 250th anniversary of American independence, with millions of people expected to gather for barbecues, parades and fireworks.
The extreme temperatures come as many host cities, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, are expected to feel the heat as the FIFA World Cup reaches its final stages.
Humidity can push the heat index to 46 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit) in some places, but nighttime temperatures rarely let up.
PMJ Interconnection, the nation’s largest regional power transmission operator, predicts summer electricity demand will hit a record 166.3 gigawatts Thursday night, surpassing the previous summer peak set 20 years ago in 2006.
The state’s transmission operator, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), also expects electricity demand to approach record highs, and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which covers 15 states in the Midwest and South, could also challenge its peak demand records.
MISO officials say they will rely on PMJ for support to cover consumer needs.
“There is a fundamental mismatch between how fast demand is growing and how quickly new supply can be built and connected to the grid,” PMJ executives warned in a May report.
They say new power plants now take twice as long to build and cost twice as much as they did 10 years ago.
At the same time, new technologies such as data centers and electric vehicles are putting increasing pressure on the power grid.
PMJ said in May that hyperscale data centers are “growing under load at an unprecedented pace.”
Experts say the artificial intelligence (AI) boom is colliding with climate change, and tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are processed in vast, energy-hungry data centers.
The biggest consumers of energy are very large facilities, which require 100 to 300 megawatts of power, enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes.
Many are located within PJM’s service territory in Northern Virginia, widely known as the world’s largest data center hub.
The researchers also identified what they called the “data heat island effect,” finding that surface temperatures around AI data centers increased by an average of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), with some locations seeing increases of up to 9 degrees Celsius (16.2 degrees Fahrenheit).
The National Weather Service warns that prolonged periods of extreme heat can put great stress on the body.
People are urged to limit outdoor activities, stay hydrated and stay near air conditioning and cooling facilities.
According to a 2024 report from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 21,518 deaths in the United States from 1999 to 2023 were heat-related.
The highest numbers were recorded in 2023, the final year of the report’s analysis. That year, 2,325 people died from causes attributed to high temperatures.
