Power grid operators in the United States are warning that a dangerous heatwave could put additional strain on an electric grid already under pressure from surging energy consumption.

A stretch of extreme heat is expected to intensify across much of the central and eastern parts of the country this week, peaking from Tuesday through Thursday. The heatwave coincides with one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, as millions of Americans prepare for Fourth of July celebrations.

Temperatures are forecast to climb above 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) from Boston to Washington, DC, pushing up demand for air conditioning. Humidity could push the heat index as high as 46 degrees Celsius (114 Fahrenheit) in some places, while overnight temperatures will offer little respite.

The US's largest regional grid operator, PMJ Interconnection, is forecasting record summer electrical demand of 166.3 gigawatts for Thursday evening, surpassing the previous summer peak set in 2006. The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) is also expecting electricity demand to approach record highs.

In a May report, PMJ's executives warned of a "fundamental mismatch between how fast demand is growing and how quickly new supply can be built and connected to the grid." New power plants now take twice as long to build and cost twice as much as they did a decade ago.

Experts say the artificial intelligence (AI) boom is colliding with climate change, with tools like ChatGPT being processed in vast, energy-hungry data centres. The most energy-intensive are hyperscale facilities requiring between 100 and 300 megawatts of electricity, enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes.

Researchers have identified a "data heat island effect," finding that land surface temperatures around AI data centres rise by an average of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). A 2024 report from JAMA found that 21,518 deaths in the US from 1999 to 2023 were heat-related.

Source: www.aljazeera.com