【SMM New Energy News】Chinese Wind Power Goes Global: Domestic Turbine Makers Score Overseas Order Surge

July 28 — PJM Interconnection, the largest US regional grid operator, proposed new rules: as early as mid-2027, data centers failing to secure sufficient capacity in market auctions will face temporary power cuts during peak demand. Driven by data center expansion and extreme heat, PJM's instantaneous load surged to 168 GW this month, a 20-year record. PJM plans an emergency auction in September to address a capacity shortfall of approximately 7 GW/year starting June 2028.

According to State Grid, the company completed fixed asset investment exceeding RMB 310 billion in H1 2026, representing a year-on-year increase of 12.6%. Among these, 15 Ultra-High Voltage (UHV) projects and 37 pumped-storage hydropower stations are under accelerated construction. Investment in new energy grid-connection projects continues to ramp up, with the new energy grid-connected installed capacity in State Grid's operating area reaching 1.55 billion kW as of the end of June.

The IEA released a report on July 23 stating that despite recent Middle East conflicts disrupting global natural gas markets and elevating power generation costs, global electricity demand is projected to maintain rapid growth in 2026-2027, fueled by sustained demand from industry, household appliances, cooling, electric vehicles, and data centers. The report forecasts global electricity demand growth of 3.6% in 2026 and 3.8% in 2027, both exceeding the 3% growth recorded in 2025. Global electricity consumption is expected to reach 30,700 TWh by 2027. Renewables are projected to surpass coal as the world's largest power source in 2026. Solar PV generation is set to increase by approximately 600 TWh in 2026, with PV expected to overtake wind and become the world's second-largest renewable power source after hydropower.