Energy Department Directs Grid Managers to Use Data Center Backup Power

The order applies to facilities whose backup generators often sit unused even as temperatures exceed 100 degrees across large parts of the United States.

Background on the Directive Grid operators have faced repeated warnings about supply shortfalls when air-conditioning loads peak. Data centers maintain large diesel or natural-gas generators for emergency use, yet these units are rarely called on outside of outages. The department's instruction seeks to tap that idle capacity without new construction or permanent changes to market rules.

Grid managers will determine when conditions warrant activation and will coordinate with data-center operators on timing and duration. No public list of affected facilities has been released. The policy does not alter emissions permits or fuel-supply contracts already held by the sites.