The U.S. Department of Energy issued a temporary emergency order allowing regional grid operator PJM Interconnection to use additional electricity generation resources if needed to maintain supplies, according to Fox News’ Oct. 14 report.
The order was issued Monday under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act and took effect Tuesday. It remains in place through Friday, Oct. 16. The authorization permits certain generating facilities to operate outside normal restrictions when necessary, the report said.
PJM serves all or parts of 13 states—Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia—as well as Washington, D.C. The source reported that warm temperatures forecast in parts of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic, together with scheduled maintenance at power plants and transmission facilities, were factors behind the action.
PJM spokesperson Jeff Shields told Fox News the operator did not expect the emergency conditions to affect customers’ everyday use. He also cited growing electricity demand, limited new generation and the difficulty of scheduling maintenance amid unpredictable weather as challenges for grid reliability.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the order would make additional generation, including backup power, available if needed. Wright also criticized energy policies adopted during the Biden administration, arguing they had weakened grid reliability. That assessment is an attributed political claim, not an independently established finding in the supplied report.
The report also described a separate Energy Department initiative involving planned support for 84 Tennessee Valley Authority transmission and distribution projects in eight states. Final funding and regulatory approvals for that initiative remain pending, and it is distinct from the PJM emergency order.
