DOE Gives PJM a Four-Day Emergency Order as 61,591 MW of Generation Sits Out for Autumn Maintenance

Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued Order No. 202-26-50 on October 12, 2026. The order gives PJM Interconnection emergency powers across the mid-Atlantic grid from October 13 through October 16. PJM forecast demand at or around 111,500 MW on October 13. It also expected generation outages to reach around 61,591 MW across its footprint. Most of those outages are planned maintenance during the autumn outage season.

PJM filed its request on October 11 under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act. In the letter, PJM said it was forecast to be within 900 MW of its reserve margin on October 14. It had already issued a Capacity Advisory for October 12 to 14.

What the order allows

The order lets PJM dispatch a list of Specified Resources past their environmental permit limits. Emissions, run hours and fuel burned under the order do not count toward 12-month or 30-day rolling limits. PJM’s first Exhibit A, submitted October 12, lists gas, oil and coal units in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina and West Virginia. They include the 542 MW Mount Storm 1 coal unit in West Virginia and two 609 MW Three Rivers combined-cycle units in Morris, Illinois. The list also includes eight 77 MW Lincoln combustion turbines in Illinois that face 12-month limits under the state’s CEJA law.

The order also lets PJM direct backup generation at large loads to run as a last resort. That authority applies before PJM declares an Energy Emergency Alert 3, which means firm load interruption, or during one. Backup units at hospitals, 911 centers, water treatment plants and similar critical sites are exempt. PJM must report each unit that uses the order to DOE every day. DOE estimates that more than 35 GW of unused backup generation exists nationwide.

Why It Matters

This emergency comes from the maintenance calendar, not from a heat wave peak. PJM compared it to September 17, when peak load reached 127,729 MW with 33,899 MW of generation outages. Demand is lower now, but PJM said it has an additional 27,692 MW of generation outages. PJM set the end date at October 16, when it forecasts temperatures to drop. So the grid can run short with far less load than a summer peak. Large-load customers in PJM should expect a call to run their backup units in any month, not only in July.

Where the grid is tight

PJM said the stress is most acute in the BGE, PEPCO and Dominion zones. Its studies flagged three transfer limits. North-to-south flows are limited by the Conastone-Peach Bottom 5012 500 kV facility. West-to-east flows are limited by the Crete-St. Johns 345 kV tie line with MISO. Seams transfers with MISO are limited by loading on the Fostoria-Lallendorf facility. MISO itself issued a Capacity Advisory and Conservative Operation starting October 12, which could reduce the re-dispatch available on the seam.

PJM also listed planned transmission outages and significant firm export obligations as causes. It said it was evaluating a Transmission Loading Relief request, recalls of off-system sales and Demand Response. DOE used the same backup generation authority for PJM during a July heat wave. The order states that rate recovery is available under the Federal Power Act.

Sources

• U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Secretary Secures Mid-Atlantic Grid Ahead of Anticipated Stressed System Conditions
• U.S. Department of Energy, Order No. 202-26-50
• PJM Interconnection, Request for Emergency Order Under Federal Power Act Section 202(c)
• PJM Interconnection, Exhibit A: Specified Resources (Version 1)

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