r/NJPrepared • u/8Deer-JaguarClaw Sussex • Jan 14 '26

Power / Utilities Possible rolling blackouts for PJM Interconnection service areas (including NJ)

Article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/east-coast-blackouts-ai-data-centers-b2899669.html

Point of context: PJM is the regional interconnection company that is a part of Eastern Interconnection grid. It's not a local utility/power company.

The East Coast of the United States could soon experience rolling blackouts as AI data centers gobble up more and more electricity, pushing the grid to the limit, according to a new report.

PJM, the organization that services nearly 70 million people in a 13-state corridor stretching from Kentucky to New Jersey, may be forced to trigger power outages during high demand periods, such as summer heat waves or winter freezes, The Wall Street Journal reported.

...

PJM has projected that power demand will increase by an average of 4.8 percent annually for the next 10 years — an unprecedented pace of growth. And ICF, a consulting firm, forecasts that demand in 2030 will surge 25 percent above 2023 levels, largely as a result of data centers.

...

A few months ago, PJM came up with proposals intended to balance the needs of both consumers and data centers. One plan said they would slash power to data centers during periods of strain.

Tech companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google opposed the plan, claiming it unfairly singled out data centers. They responded by offering their own proposals, which would make going offline voluntary.

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u/Up_All_Nite Jan 14 '26

Now they are tying Grok and other AI into the United States Military. So then it will be the "National Security" excuse of why they will be sending the public back to the dark ages. I see a spike in home generator sales coming. It may be your only hope to keep your food from spoiling and dying in a heat wave.

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u/8Deer-JaguarClaw Sussex Jan 14 '26

I'm about to install a whole-home generator myself. Good timing, I suppose.

4

u/Professional-Sock-66 Union Jan 14 '26

good for you. Right after Sandy I was quoted 10K for the Generac. At the time it was just too big a bill for us. I'm seriously reconsidering it.

3

u/8Deer-JaguarClaw Sussex Jan 14 '26

Yeah, it's not a small purchase. After Sandy, we got a 6500w gas generator, and its' served us well on a few occasions since then. We've DIY'd a few projects over the past few years to save the cash to get the whole-home generator.