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Fault in Data Center Alley Triggered 3 GW Load Drop
Dominion says data centers transferred to backup power after a transmission line fault, creating one of the largest sudden load changes publicly reported on the US grid.
A transmission line fault in a major data center region caused hyperscale facilities to automatically switch to backup power, removing more than 3 gigawatts of demand from the power grid in seconds. This event is significant because it demonstrates how large data center operations respond to disturbances on the electrical grid and represents one of the largest sudden load changes publicly reported on the US grid. The incident occurs amid growing pressure on the regional grid operator, including recent emergency warnings about backup generator availability and broader concerns about connecting new generation capacity to support data center growth. The data centers' own protection systems initiated the transfer without direction from the grid operator, and system stability was restored within minutes.
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Also reported by Data Center Knowledge
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