The biggest US power grid is under strain from AI — and no one is happy

PJM Interconnection says AI and cloud-driven demand is straining its grid and forcing urgent market and connection-rule changes.

The operator paused new generation applications because a large interconnection backlog has slowed efforts to add capacity.

Utilities such as American Electric Power are questioning whether PJM can fix the problem quickly enough.

The outcome matters for power prices, grid reliability, and future data-center growth across the PJM territory, including Northern Virginia.