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Blackout risk rises as heatwave stresses largest US electric grids

2 September 2026 at 13:16

US energy department warns of potential for outages in PJM Interconnection, serving 67 million from DC to Chicago

The risk ⁠of power outages ⁠is expected to ​escalate across a broad swath of the United States on Wednesday as intense heat will test the capacity of electricity supplies ⁠serving millions of homes and businesses from the midwest through the mid-Atlantic.

The USβ€―Department of Energy warned of the potential for heightened blackout risks in ⁠the PJM Interconnection, the largest US electric grid, which serves 67 million people in ​a territory stretching from Washington DC to β€ŒChicago.

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Β© Photograph: Nam Y Huh/AP

Β© Photograph: Nam Y Huh/AP

Β© Photograph: Nam Y Huh/AP

The chefs turning down the heat by switching from gas to electric

As well as being quieter, cheaper to run and easier to clean, induction cookers can cut kitchen temperatures by up to 10C

Leaping flames, searing heat, copious sweat and scorchingly inventive swearing – restaurant kitchens are never a place for the faint-hearted, but this summer they have been sweltering in successive heatwaves to a dangerous degree.

Some restaurants, cafes and bakeries in the UK grew so hot that they were forced to close, or reduce their hours, for the safety of their staff. There is still no maximum working temperature, despite calls from the TUC, and tens of thousands of kitchen staff are thought to have carried on working in β€œfurnace-like” conditions.

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Β© Photograph: PhotoTalk/Getty Images

Β© Photograph: PhotoTalk/Getty Images

Β© Photograph: PhotoTalk/Getty Images

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