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Winter Storm Drives Power Prices to Record Highs

1/26/2026

44 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Power prices surged on January 25 as data centers drove higher demand during a severe winter storm.
In Virginia, real-time prices reached $1,800 per MWh, up from $200 the day before.
PJM Interconnection projected a record 147.2 gigawatts of winter demand for Tuesday.
Nearly 900,000 customers lost power across Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana as regional grids struggled to meet the demand from data centers concentrated in Virginia.

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Story summary

Power prices surged on January 25 as data centers drove higher demand during a severe winter storm.
In Virginia, real-time prices reached $1,800 per MWh, up from $200 the day before.
PJM Interconnection projected a record 147.2 gigawatts of winter demand for Tuesday.
Nearly 900,000 customers lost power across Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana as regional grids struggled to meet the demand from data centers concentrated in Virginia.