The North American Electric Reliability Corporation issued a concerning report on Tuesday, indicating a rise in winter electricity demand, which could cause winter blackouts particularly in areas densely populated with AI data centers.
In its reliability report for 2025-2026, NERC warned that much of North America might struggle to meet electricity demand in extreme weather conditions and winter blackouts could occur. Regions burdened with energy-intensive AI data centers are facing increased risks of outages during harsh winter storms.
NERC Warning – AI Data Centers Could Cause Winter Blackouts
“Winter electricity demand is escalating at a pace we haven’t seen in recent years, especially in zones where data center growth is underway,” NERC stated on Tuesday. “While resources may be sufficient for typical winter peak requirements, any extended, widespread cold spells will present significant challenges to the AI Data Centers. This is primarily due to a surge in electricity demand, which has increased by 20 GW since last winter, dramatically outstripping available winter on-peak capacity.”
