A major winter storm is causing frigid temperatures, ice, and snow across the nation, leading to a surge in electricity demand and prices, particularly in areas with large data center concentrations. Real-time wholesale electricity prices in Dominion Energy’s Virginia territory, home to the world’s largest data center cluster, spiked dramatically on Sunday. The PJM Interconnection grid anticipates a record winter demand, fueled in part by data center needs, which could further strain the power grid. Consequently, disruptions to local power lines have resulted in nearly 900,000 customers without power on Sunday, with widespread outages across multiple states.
Read More
Last year, data centers in the Netherlands consumed nearly 5,100 gigawatt hours of electricity, equivalent to the power usage of almost 2 million homes. This represents a near doubling of consumption in five years, with data centers now using almost 5% of the country’s total electricity. The largest centers, numbering approximately 45, have seen their combined consumption almost quadruple in a decade. However, the data does not include consumption from companies and institutions that store their own data, meaning the total electricity usage could be even higher.
Read More
Cuba’s national power grid experienced a complete collapse, plunging millions into darkness due to the failure of the Antonio Guiteras power plant. The restoration process, impacting work and school activities, is expected to take days and involves restoring aging Soviet-era infrastructure. The government attributes the crisis to a combination of US sanctions, insufficient investment, and the impacts of recent hurricanes and an earthquake. While authorities report progress in restoring power through microgrids, planned daily blackouts will continue, particularly in areas outside Havana.
Read More
John Q. Hosedrinker