DOE Issues 2 Emergency Orders as PJM Demand Nears Record 166,000 Megawatts
Updated
Updated · thebanner.com · Jul 2
DOE Issues 2 Emergency Orders as PJM Demand Nears Record 166,000 Megawatts
3 articles · Updated · thebanner.com · Jul 2
Summary
PJM expects electricity demand to top 166,000 megawatts on Thursday, which would break the regional grid’s previous peak set in 2006 during a heat wave pushing temperatures above 100 degrees.
Two DOE emergency orders let PJM power plants bypass some environmental limits to run at maximum capacity and direct data centers and other large users to switch to backup generators if needed.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a State of Preparedness as the National Weather Service warned extreme heat would persist through the holiday weekend, including Independence Day.
The strain reflects both heavy air-conditioning use and a surge in data centers after years of relatively stable PJM demand across the 13-state grid.