Chapter 667 314: Revenge

Audubon, Pennsylvania.

This was the control center for the PJM Interconnection power grid.

A nondescript concrete fortress, hidden amidst rolling hills.

But within this building's underground bunker, the largest power market in North America was controlled.

From the steel mills on the Lake Erie Shoreline to the White House in Washington D.C., the lights for sixty-five million people depended on the rows of servers and the fingertips of the dispatchers here.

Inside the control hall, a massive, curved wall of screens took up an entire side of the room.

It was densely packed with red and green transmission line diagrams, substation load indices, and real-time electricity price fluctuation curves.

Duty Manager Kevin O'Connor sat at the command console, a cup of espresso in his hands.

As a veteran dispatcher who had worked this post for fifteen years, he was accustomed to the dull yet tense rhythm.

His job was to find the delicate balance between thousands of power generation nodes and millions of consumption terminals.

BEEP—

A piercing alert tone shattered the hall's tranquility.

O'Connor looked at the main screen. The power load in Western Pennsylvania was climbing sharply.

It was coming from the direction of Pittsburgh.

"Report, Manager," the operator's voice was rushed. "Industrial power demand in the Pittsburgh area has surged by thirty percent in the last hour. The heavy equipment at the Inland Port has all been powered on, and several large steel mills have simultaneously activated their electric arc furnaces."

O'Connor frowned.

"Allocate reserve capacity," he commanded. "Notify the coal-fired power plants along the Ohio River to run at full load."

"They're already at full load." The operator's fingers flew across the keyboard. "But there's still a shortfall. If this continues, the grid frequency in the west will drop, which could trigger a cascading trip."

Just then, the airtight door to the control room opened.

Sterling walked in. He wore a dark blue jacket emblazoned with the logo of the National Energy Association, and a special consultant's ID card hung from his chest.

Behind him followed two lawyers carrying briefcases and a technical expert.

O'Connor stood up.

"Mr. Sterling, this is a restricted area..."

"I know where I am, O'Connor."

Sterling walked straight to the command console and threw a thick file onto the operator's station.

"I'm here to solve your problem."

Sterling pointed to the Pittsburgh load area on the large screen, which was glowing an intense red.

"See that? Industrial revival is devouring electricity. That's our future, Pennsylvania's economic engine. We can't let it stall."

"We're doing our best to allocate resources," O'Connor explained. "But—"

"No 'buts'."

Sterling cut him off.

"According to the 'National Grid Security and Priority Supply Agreement,' and the 'Strategic Industrial Protection Ordinance' just signed by the state of Pennsylvania, when the grid load reaches a critical threshold, we have the right to initiate load-shedding procedures."

Sterling's voice was laced with authority.

"To protect the stable operation of core industrial zones and ensure the security of the national strategic supply chain, we need to cut power to some non-essential areas."

"Load shedding?" O'Connor was taken aback. "You mean rolling blackouts? But that's usually a measure for summer peak demand or extreme weather events, and..."

"And what?"

Sterling stared at O'Connor until the manager averted his gaze.

"O'Connor, you're a smart man. You know the situation. They're making things over in Pittsburgh, while in the east..."

Sterling's finger traced an arc through the air, pointing to the right side of the map—New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington D.C.

"There are people in the east hogging massive resources, consuming astonishing amounts of power, yet producing nothing but a pile of worthless paper and bubbles."

"Now, there isn't enough power to go around."

"We have to make a choice."

Sterling waved a hand at the technical expert behind him.

The expert stepped forward and inserted a black USB drive into a port on the console.

"This is the priority supply list and the load-shedding list, approved on an emergency basis by the Energy Association and the State Government."

A list popped up on the screen.

O'Connor leaned in for a closer look.

His pupils contracted instantly.

The list was too precise.

Down to the street, even the building number.

In the priority supply column were all the factories, hospitals, schools, and residential areas in Pittsburgh and its surrounding satellite cities.

And in the load-shedding column were the targets that were about to have their power cut.

Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey.

The global R&D center for Pfizer.

Wilmington, Delaware, North Avenue.

The largest data processing center on the East Coast for United Health Group, managing the real-time settlement of tens of millions of insurance policies.

And...

Washington D.C., K Street, the 1100 to 1900 blocks.

Home to All of America's top lobbying firms, law offices, and consulting agencies.

"This is..."

O'Connor felt his throat go dry.

"Mr. Sterling, you're targeting specific commercial entities."

"Watch your wording, Manager."

Sterling's expression didn't change in the slightest; he didn't even blink.

"This is a technical load reduction."

"These areas are all high-energy-consumption commercial users. Their buildings run central air conditioning 24/7, and their server rooms consume astronomical amounts of electricity. At a time of energy shortage, they should rightfully yield to physical production."

"This is in accordance with Federal energy law."