Power Grid Emergency Declared In PA: What It Means

Authorities have issued an emergency declaration in anticipation of an energy shortage in 13 states around the mid-Atlantic and midwest, including Pennsylvania, according to a federal announcement this week.

The Department of Energy's declaration comes in the midst of rising electricity demand in a swath of the country, caused partially by warmer temperatures and increased overnight air conditioner use, officials said.

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That increased use is coinciding with the additional strain placed by scheduled maintenance, typically planned for autumn when demand is usually much lower than it is right now.

PJM, the regional organization that coordinates electricity across much of the country, requested the emergency order from the DOE. The order allows power plants to run backup generators for longer periods of time and to exceed pollution and exhaust limits, with the goal of preventing breaks in electrical service and blackouts.

Blackouts are not widely anticipated or imminent, the Department of Energy said, noting that the move was a precaution.

It comes amid ongoing controversy over the strain placed on the electrical grid by artificial intelligence data centers, and calls for a several year moratorium on constructing new data centers so that impacts on the grid can be fully evaluated.

"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 this week.

Similar emergency orders were issued earlier this year in other parts of the country, notably in the southwest over the summer, primarily due to weather conditions.

The emergency is in place from Oct. 13 through Oct. 16.

In a statement, Pennsylvania House Republicans said they issued an 11-bill package earlier in the year to strengthen the electric grid, but that it was not considered by House Democrats.

In addition to Pennsylvania, impacted states include Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. Some 67 million people are served by PJM.