Data Centers’ Reliability Impacts Examined at FERC Meeting

James Downing | Source: RTO Insider | Posted 04/19/2025

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Sudden trips offline by data centers in Virginia and cryptominers in ERCOT present new reliability challenges that must be managed, NERC Chief Engineer Mark Lauby told FERC at its monthly open meeting April 17.

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At a recent FERC meeting, NERC Chief Engineer Mark Lauby highlighted the reliability challenges posed by sudden outages of data centers and cryptocurrency miners, particularly in Virginia and ERCOT. Lauby noted that in July 2024, a significant voltage drop of about 1,500 MW occurred due to system conditions, leading to data centers going offline to protect their cooling loads. Similar incidents have been reported in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties, with investigations ongoing to understand the causes. In Texas, cryptocurrency mining facilities have experienced multiple outages, resulting in substantial load losses.

Lauby emphasized the need for engineering solutions to prevent cascading outages from large load users, which could impact grid stability. NERC is considering rule changes to address these risks as data center loads grow to the scale of major cities. A Large Loads Task Force has been established to develop guidelines and reliability standards, focusing on how to register these large loads effectively. Lauby acknowledged the potential severity of reliability impacts from large load drops and stressed the importance of both adequate supply and operational reliability to maintain grid stability.

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Data Centers’ Reliability Impacts Examined at FERC Meeting

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