MD Put Under Power Grid Emergency: What You Need To Know

Maryland energy regulators are operating under an emergency order for the next few days as part of an effort to curb the risk of power outages during a stretch of warmer-than-usual days.

Issued by the U.S. Department of Energy, the emergency order allows PJM Interconnection to permit power plants to bypass seasonal maintenance operations to alleviate stresses on transmission lines.

The emergency order, in effect through Friday, impacts more than 67 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C.

Residents are not being asked to take additional action.

While mass blackouts aren't necessarily imminent, the Department of Energy said 35 gigawatts of unused backup generation remains available nationwide in the event they take place.

"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," U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in a statement.

Related: MD Faces Summer-Like Heat Before Rain, Chilly Temps Return

As the region's power grid operator, PJM Interconnection has faced increased energy demand that complicated maintenance typically carried out during the fall months.

In a statement to WUSA9, a PJM spokesperson said planned maintenance outages were becoming a reliability concern beyond the typical demands during the summer and winter months.