AI data centers are turning grid stress into a year-round problem

The US power grid used to have a predictable stress calendar. Summer heat waves and winter cold snaps were the danger zones, and the months in between offered some breathing room. That breathing room is disappearing. Booming electricity demand from artificial intelligence means supply constraints now extend beyond the two traditional peak seasons, turning grid strain into a year-round affair. The numbers behind the squeeze The clearest signal comes from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, or NERC, the body that monitors the reliability of the continent’s bulk power system. Its January 2026 Long-Term Reliability Assessment forecasts summer peak demand growth of 224 gigawatts over the next decade. That figure represents a 24% increase from previous projections. Winter looks even more demanding. NERC projects winter peak demand growth of 246 GW, outpacing the summer figure. The pressure is especially concentrated in PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator whose territory stretches across a large swath of the eastern US. PJM is expecting an additional 30 GW of demand from data centers alone by 2030. That surge has come with rising congestion costs in the PJM re...