NERC’s Winter Warning
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) issued a stark warning this week. The latest reliability report shows that much of North America could face increased blackout risks this winter, especially in areas crowded with new AI data centers, which consume enormous amounts of electricity around the clock.
The Daily Caller reports,
“Winter electricity demand is rising at the fastest rate in recent years, particularly in areas where data center development is occurring,” NERC said on Tuesday. “Although resources are adequate for normal winter peak demand, any prolonged, wide-area cold snaps will be challenging. This is largely due to rising electricity demand, which has grown by 20 GW since last winter, significantly outpacing winter on-peak capacity.”
NERC notes that winter peaks occur before sunrise and after sunset, “coinciding with the unavailability of solar generation,” forcing grids to rely heavily on wind and dispatchable resources. Meanwhile, data centers are extending peak demand periods with their 24/7 power needs. Intermittent energy simply can’t support the power grid.
The Department of Energy (DOE) acknowledged this by issuing an emergency order to keep Michigan’s J.H. Campbell coal plant operational through February 2026. The same plant that the previous administration had pushed to retire early. “Because of the last administration’s dangerous energy subtraction policies…the United States continues to face an energy emergency,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said.
This warning comes at a critical moment. As Power The Future highlighted in our report, “Rocket Fuel For America’s AI Moonshot 2025,” the race to develop artificial general intelligence will be one of the key national-security battles of the 21st century. AI demands enormous amounts of reliable power, much more than wind and solar can supply.
If America wants to win the AI race and keep families warm this winter, it must adopt an energy policy that utilizes all abundant energy resources.
November 19, 2025