2026年1月22日 21:20 UTC / 路透社
作者：蒂姆·麦克劳克林和斯科特·迪萨维诺
（图片说明：美国加利福尼亚州洛杉矶市，2019年8月20日清晨，透过海洋层可以看到洛杉矶市中心，背景是一座电线杆。路透社/露西·尼科尔森）
1月22日（路透社）- 随着北极寒流来袭和天然气供应减少，美国电网在未来几天面临着中断风险加剧的局面，而全天候运转的数据中心需求正考验着本就脆弱的电力基础设施。
北美电力可靠性公司（North American Electric Reliability Corporation）周四表示，从周五开始，北极寒冷天气模式将发展，带来极低气温以及大量冰雪，可能从下周开始给电网带来重大挑战。该公司是美国电力可靠性的最高监管机构。
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寒冷天气已经开始通过冻结中西部和大平原地区几个州的油气井和管道来减少天然气供应。
因此，由于预计未来两周将出现极端寒冷天气，美国天然气期货在过去三天飙升63%，创历史新高，周四达到六周高点。
电网运营商、分析师以及金融公司LSEG的数据显示，随着家庭和企业为抵御残酷的寒潮而调高暖气使用，下周的需求预计将接近去年冬季的创纪录水平。
与此同时，美国最大的电网——PJM互联系统（PJM Interconnection）的冬季电力需求预计下周将创下历史新高。
该电网运营商周四在警示警报中表示：“下周可能连续七天的峰值需求将超过130,000兆瓦，这是PJM从未经历过的冬季高峰连续天数。”
“根据气温情况，PJM可能在1月27日创下新的历史冬季峰值负荷。而且这种寒冷可能持续到2月初，因此PJM正在采取额外预防措施，与发电商和输电运营商合作做好准备。”
PJM服务于13个州和华盛顿特区的6700万人。近年来，随着科技巨头为人工智能快速扩张而建立的电力密集型数据中心数量激增，区域电网（包括PJM）一直难以满足其迅猛增长的需求。
近年来，包括PJM在内的区域电网在极端天气面前反应迟缓。
最严重的一次事件发生在2021年初的得克萨斯州，该州主电网的发电容量损失近50%，导致超过200人死亡。数百万得克萨斯人断电，其中包括一名11岁男孩，他在睡梦中被冻死。
得克萨斯州电力可靠性委员会（ERCOT）作为该州主要电网运营商，在事后报告中因未确保系统做好冬季准备而受到批评。
此后，更严格的州和联邦规则已实施，要求公用事业公司和电网运营商提高冬季准备工作水平。例如，ERCOT计划在本冬季（12月至2月）完成至少450次检查。ERCOT表示，截至1月18日，已完成240次检查。
伊利诺伊大学香槟分校的电网专家菲利普·克雷恩（Philip Krein）表示，由于数据中心的快速增长，冬季和夏季用电高峰之间的差距正在缩小。
这意味着公用事业公司几乎没有时间让发电厂停机进行维护，例如。
克雷恩说：“这使得电网更容易受到攻击。维护季节被以前所未有的程度压缩。”
ERCOT和PJM都表示，预计本冬季的发电量足以满足需求。
然而，ERCOT预测，1月31日上午可能发生小规模、受控停电的概率为1.18%。
ERCOT首席执行官帕布罗·维加（Pablo Vegas）周四表示，他有信心得克萨斯州电网能够应对寒冷天气的需求。
报道：蒂姆·麦克劳克林；编辑：尼亚·威廉姆斯和黛安·克拉夫特
我们的标准：汤姆森路透信托原则。
US power grid faces stress test amid arctic chill, data center demand
January 22, 2026 9:20 PM UTC / Reuters
By Tim McLaughlin and Scott Disavino
节点运行失败
Downtown Los Angeles is seen behind an electricity pylon through the morning marine layer in Los Angeles, California, U.S., August 20, 2019. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Jan 22 (Reuters) – The U.S. power grid faces an elevated risk of disruption over the next several days as an Arctic blast and reduced gas supplies test the sturdiness of electric infrastructure vulnerable to the around-the-clock demands of data centers.
Beginning Friday, an extreme weather pattern of Arctic cold is expected to evolve and bring extremely low temperatures and heavy snow and ice, with the potential to create significant challenges for the electric grid through next week. That was the assessment given on Thursday by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the top regulator for power reliability in the United States.
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Cold weather has already started to reduce gas supplies by freezing oil and gas wells and pipes in several Midwest and Great Plains states .
As a result, U.S. natural gas futures soared by a record 63% over the past three days to a six-week high on Thursday on forecasts of extreme cold over the next two weeks.
Demand next week is expected to approach last winter’s record as homes and businesses crank up their heaters to escape a brutal cold snap, according to power grid operators, analysts and data from financial firm LSEG.
Meanwhile, winter electricity demand on the largest U.S. power grid – the PJM Interconnection – is expected to set an all-time record next week.
“Peak demand has the potential to exceed 130,000 MW for seven straight days next week, a winter streak that PJM has never experienced,” the grid operator said on Thursday in a cautionary alert.
“Depending on temperatures, PJM could set a new all-time winter peak load on Jan. 27. And that cold could extend into early February, so PJM is taking additional precautions with its generation and transmission owners to prepare.”
PJM serves 67 million people in 13 states and Washington, D.C. It has been struggling to keep up with booming demand from the proliferation of Big Tech’s power-hungry data centers needed for the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence.
In recent years, regional grids, including PJM, have been caught flat-footed by extreme weather.
The worst episode happened in Texas in early 2021 when more than 200 people died as the state’s main grid lost nearly 50% of its generation capacity. Millions of Texans were left without power, including the family of an 11-year-old boy who froze to death while sleeping in his bed.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state’s main grid operator, was criticized in after-action reports for not making sure the system was properly winterized.
Since then, stricter state and federal rules have been implemented to require better winter readiness by utilities and grid operators. ERCOT, for example, plans to complete a minimum of 450 inspections this winter season (December–February). As of January 18, 240 inspections had been completed, ERCOT said.
But the gap between winter and summer peaks is narrowing, caused by rapid data center growth, said Philip Krein, a grid expert at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
That means utilities have less time to take power plants offline, for example, to perform maintenance.
“That makes the grid more vulnerable,” Krein said. “The maintenance season is being squeezed like never before.”
ERCOT and PJM both said they expected they will have enough generation to meet demand this winter.
However, ERCOT has forecast there’s a slight chance – 1.18% – of a small, controlled blackout on the morning of January 31.
ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said on Thursday he was confident the Texas grid will be able to handle the demands of cold weather.
Reporting By Tim McLaughlin; Editing by Nia Williams and Diane Craft
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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