A downed transmission line in Northern Virginia on July 22, 2026 caused roughly 3.1 gigawatts of AI data-center load to disconnect from the PJM grid within about 30 seconds, as data centers automatically switched to backup power. The sudden load loss produced a voltage disturbance that propagated from Virginia to Chicago and took more than 11 minutes to stabilize, causing lights to flicker across the region, though no blackout occurred. The event, roughly double the scale of a similar 2024 disconnection, renewed regulatory concern over how concentrated AI data-center demand is straining the bulk power grid.