Energy Department reveals backup power plan during winter storm

As many states across the nation brace for a severe winter storm this weekend, the Department of Energy is advising grid operators to use data centers as backup generation sources in case of a power outage in their area.

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright made the recommendation in a Thursday letter to the nation’s electrical grid operators. The backup plan for power generation is to address what he calls a “national energy emergency” amid Winter Storm Fern.