Dominion reports 3GW sudden load drop in Virginia's Data Center Alley from transmission line fault—largest publicly reported grid event

Reuters reports that more than 3 gigawatts of power abruptly went offline Wednesday when a data center disconnected from the country's largest power grid, causing a voltage disturbance that extended from Washington, D.C. to Chicago. PJM, the grid operator serving more than 67 million customers across the East and Midwest, experienced the disruption after an area transmission line went out of service, forcing Virginia data center operators to disconnect and rely on backup power generators. Virginia is considered the "epicenter" of the country's data industry.

The grid disturbance created a power hit with reports of outages and flickering lights lasting more than 10 minutes before control was restored. PJM regained normal grid reliance within that timeframe—notably longer than the seconds typically required to repair most power surges.

The incident underscores mounting pressure on grid infrastructure. This month's heat wave pushed PJM to increase its peak load estimate to 168 gigawatts, surpassing the previous record set 20 years ago. Heat waves combined with expanding data center capacity have placed tremendous strain on grid capabilities. According to Bloomberg, data centers could consume up to 34 percent of PJM's power generation by 2030 and are expected to increase energy use by four times by 2035.

A 2026 study by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association projects U.S. electricity demand will grow 55 percent by 2050, underscoring the urgent need for investment in new technologies to meet rising demand.