Summary:

– Texas orders standards for cutting data center power in emergencies.

– PJM proposes data centers may not get electricity during peak demand.

– Big Tech and states debate incentives, efficiency and grid stability.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — With the explosive growth of Big Tech’s data centers threatening to overload U.S. electricity grids , policymakers are taking a hard look at a tough-love solution: bumping the energy-hungry data centers off grids during power emergencies.

Texas moved first, as state lawmakers try to protect residents in the data-center hotspot from another deadly blackout , like the winter storm in 2021 when dozens died.

Now the concept is emerging in the 13-state mid-Atlantic grid and elsewhere as massive data centers are coming online faster than power

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