"As Winter Storm Fern swept across the United States in late January 2026, bringing ice, snow and freezing temperatures, it left more than a million people without power, mostly in the Southeast."
"Scrambling to meet higher than average demand, PJM, the nonprofit company that operates the grid serving much of the mid-Atlantic U.S., asked for federal permission to generate more power, even if it caused high levels of air pollution from burning relatively dirty fuels."
"Energy Secretary Chris Wright agreed and took another step, too. He authorized PJM and ERCOT - the company that manages the Texas power grid - as well as Duke Energy, a major electricity supplier in the Southeast, to tell data centers and other large power-consuming businesses to turn on their backup generators. The goal was to make sure there was enough power available to serve customers as the storm hit. Generally, these facilities power themselves and do not send power back to the grid. But Wright explained that their " industrial diesel generators " could "generate 35 gigawatts of power, or enough electricity to power many millions of homes.""
Winter Storm Fern in late January 2026 caused ice, snow and freezing temperatures and left over a million people, mostly in the Southeast, without power. Grid operator PJM sought federal permission to generate extra power even if it increased air pollution by burning dirtier fuels. Energy Secretary Chris Wright authorized PJM, ERCOT and Duke Energy to direct data centers and other large users to run backup generators to preserve customer service. Industrial diesel generators could supply roughly 35 gigawatts. Data centers already consume large amounts of electricity and AI-driven demand is growing, creating both resilience challenges and opportunities for cleaner on-site power, interconnection, regulatory changes and incentives to reduce emissions while supporting communities during storms.
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