The Department of Energy has issued an emergency order authorizing the regional grid operator PJM Interconnection to tap additional power generation resources as unseasonable October heat pushes electricity demand higher across 13 states and Washington, D.C.
The order, issued Monday under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, took effect Tuesday and runs through Friday, Oct. 16. It permits certain generating facilities to operate beyond their normal restrictions if needed to keep electricity flowing to the roughly 60 million people PJM serves.
PJM covers all or part of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the nation’s capital.
Temperatures across the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic are expected to climb into the 70s and 80s this week, raising demand for electricity at the same time some power plants and transmission lines are offline for previously scheduled maintenance.
PJM told Fox News Digital it does not expect the emergency conditions to disrupt service for ordinary customers, but spokesperson Jeff Shields said the episode reflects a broader shift in how grid operators manage risk. Shields said electricity demand is growing faster than new generating capacity can be built, and that unpredictable weather is leaving fewer windows for essential maintenance and construction work.
Shields added that maintenance periods, once considered low-risk, now carry reliability challenges that used to appear mainly in the depths of summer or winter.
“This order will help ensure millions of American families and businesses across the mid-Atlantic have access to affordable, reliable and secure electricity by making additional power generation, including backup power, available to use as needed,” said Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Wright also took aim at energy policy under former President Joe Biden, arguing that restrictions on conventional energy production had left the grid less resilient.
A separate push on infrastructure
The emergency order is distinct from a separate Energy Department initiative backing 84 Tennessee Valley Authority transmission and distribution projects spanning eight states. That effort represents roughly $581 million in planned investment, including $250 million in federal funding, and is projected to add about 2.5 gigawatts of grid capacity while improving reliability for 2.58 million families and businesses and supporting around 800 jobs.
The TVA projects remain subject to final funding and regulatory approvals and are not tied to this week’s PJM emergency order.
Representatives for the Department of Energy and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
