A 3 GW data-center load drop briefly stressed the PJM grid in Northern Virginia

Annual_Judge_7272 · reddit · 2026-07-24

A Reuters-linked Reddit thread says a transmission-line outage in northern Virginia triggered a sudden disconnect of data centers from the grid.
More than 3 GW of demand reportedly dropped almost instantly, about 3% of PJM’s load at the time.
The disturbance was large enough to cause voltage issues and flickering lights for consumers across a wide area, though the grid ultimately stayed up.
The post argues hyperscale data centers can behave like giant on/off switches, creating a new grid-stability risk as AI and cloud demand keep growing.
It also notes that regulators are already looking at rules to manage abrupt demand drops from these facilities.

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