Lower-than-expected demand from data centers is helping decrease the risk of power outages this summer, but overall grid reliability remains shaky, North America’s grid watchdog said Tuesday.
The assessment from the North American Electric Reliability Corp. warns that New England and the Pacific Northwest face potential power shortages this summer during extreme heat. But overall, NERC’s forecasts for June through September have fewer areas of “elevated risk” in comparison to 2025 because of newly added power and a slowed pace of artificial intelligence facilities coming online.
The improved forecast doesn’t mean that the grid is faring better on a yearly basis, with risks increasing in spring, fall and winter, NERC officials said.
The findings shouldn’t signal that “overall reliability risk is declining … in many respects the opposite is true,” said John Moura, director of reliability assessment at NERC, on a call with reporters.
