Energy Department issues an emergency order to keep the mid Atlantic grid stable through Friday

The federal government moved on Tuesday to keep the lights on across the mid Atlantic, issuing an emergency order for the largest grid operator in the country.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued Order No. 202-26-50 under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act. The order, effective October 13 through October 16, directs PJM Interconnection to dispatch specified generating units as needed and authorizes PJM to order backup generation into service as a last resort, before or during the most serious level of grid emergency. The backup fleet includes generators at data centers and other large commercial and industrial sites. PJM may also call on transmission owners and local utilities to carry the order out.

The strain is a matter of timing. PJM applied on October 11, forecasting demand of about 111,500 megawatts or higher on October 13, a reserve margin within 900 megawatts on October 14, and about 61,591 megawatts of generation out of service, much of it for the planned maintenance season that falls each autumn. Transmission outages narrow the paths power can take to reach the places that need it. The tightest pressure was expected in the Baltimore, Washington and northern Virginia zones served by BGE, Pepco and Dominion Energy.

Wright said the order will help ensure families and businesses across the mid Atlantic keep access to affordable, reliable and secure electricity, and the department estimates more than 35 gigawatts of unused backup generation is available nationwide. As of Tuesday no widespread outages had been reported in the region, and officials stressed the order is a tool to prevent them rather than a response to blackouts already under way. Similar orders went out for the same region during a summer heatwave in June. The window closes on October 16, when temperatures are expected to ease.