# DOE clears PJM to curtail data centers as the largest US grid edges toward shortfall
> A 18 May emergency order lets the operator cut large loads before rolling blackouts; PJM warns the 2026 summer leaves little reliability margin

**Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-06-24 · heads: O que quebrou, Dinheiro de quem · 9 takes · 3 lenses · 1 regions

## Summary

DOE issued an emergency order on 18 May 2026 authorising [Pjm](/pt/entity/pjm), the largest US grid, serving 67
million people, to curtail [data-center](/pt/entity/data-centers) and other large loads with backup
generation as a last resort before rolling blackouts during heat events. PJM warned that projected
generation outages plus forecast demand "raise a significant risk of emergency conditions." Summer
2026 leaves only a thin reliability margin; for the first time the operator could not secure enough
promised capacity across the whole region. PJM projects peak demand up 32GW by 2030, all but 2GW
from data centers, with the region potentially below reliability standards from June 2027. The
move follows record [capacity-auction](/pt/n/pjm-data-center-power) costs.

## By the numbers

- 18 May 2026, DOE emergency order date.
- 67 million, people served by PJM.
- +32 GW, projected peak-demand growth 2024-2030 (30GW from data centers).
- Summer 2027, PJM's projected onset of capacity shortfall.
- 6 GW, modelled shortfall some analysts attach to 2027.

## Why it matters

For the first time the US's biggest grid is rationing-ready: AI load is colliding with stalled
generation buildout, and the operator now has explicit federal cover to cut the very data centers
driving demand. It is the clearest sign that compute growth has outrun physical [Electricity](/pt/entity/electricity)
supply.

## What to watch

- Whether any curtailment is actually invoked during 2026 heat waves.
- The 2027 capacity-auction clearing price and reliability margin.
- New generation and large-load tariffs entering service before 2027.

## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens)

### unlabelled
- **US Department of Energy / PJM** (United States, en) — DOE's 18 May 2026 emergency order (FPA §202(c)) authorising PJM to curtail data centers and large loads with backup generation as a last resort before rolling blackouts.
  Source: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pjm-doe-emergency-order-curtail-data-centers/820571/
- **WHYY** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-region-power-outage-blackout-risk/
- **NRDC** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.nrdc.org/bio/tom-rutigliano/building-data-centers-without-breaking-pjm
- **Kleinman Center (UPenn)** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/commentary/podcast/how-pjm-is-grappling-with-data-center-power-demand/
- **Introl** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://introl.com/blog/pjm-grid-crisis-6gw-shortfall-data-center-power-2027
- **Fortune** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://fortune.com/2026/05/30/us-grid-not-one-big-machine-three-blackouts/
- **Utility Dive (analysis)** (United States, en) — 
  Source: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/solving-pjms-data-center-problem/805600/

### regional public-interest
- **Spotlight PA** (United States, en) — Reports PJM's own projection of a capacity shortfall by summer 2027, with peak demand up 32GW by 2030, all but 2GW from data centers, and rising blackout risk.
  > "PJM predicts an energy shortfall by summer 2027 as data-center demand outruns new power plants."
  Source: https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/01/pjm-grid-short-fall-power-plants-data-centers-environment/

### clean-energy
- **Canary Media** (United States, en) — Argues the binding constraint is supply, not demand: record capacity-auction costs reflect PJM's failure to add generation fast enough, not merely AI load.
  > "PJM's capacity costs hit a record as the grid falls short on supply."
  Source: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/data-centers/pjm-record-capacity-costs-rising-bills

## Across the graph
- Related: [[pjm-data-center-power]], [[iberian-blackout-final-report-2026]], [[hvdc-transmission-buildout-2026]], [[smr-data-center-orders-2026]]
- Entities: Electricity, Pjm, Data Centers, United States

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Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/pt/n/pjm-emergency-curtailment-order-2026