PJM Eyes Record 165K MW Peak as DOE Orders Max Fossil Generation
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order directing PJM to maximize generation, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright authorizing additional dispatch of fossil fuel plants — including dual natural gas and fuel oil facilities — even where it conflicts with environmental standards.
- PJM Interconnection forecast Thursday's load could break its 2006 summer hourly integrated record peak of 165,563 MW and recalled all maintenance outages on June 25 to return generation to service.
- The DOE order lets PJM, as a last resort before voltage reduction or load shed, direct transmission owners to curtail data centers and other large loads that have backup generation — 'tens of gigawatts' of which DOE said have remained 'largely untapped,' including at hyperscaler facilities.
- NYISO projected Thursday's peak load at 32,410 MW, while ISO New England expects 25,850 MW around 7 p.m. Thursday and warned of 'exceptionally tight operating conditions' on the regional grid.
- MISO declared a conservative operations notice on Tuesday, and Con Edison asked customers to limit use of multiple ACs and large appliances between 2 and 10 p.m. during the heat wave.
- The National Weather Service warned of 'dangerous, record-breaking heat' across the central and eastern U.S. through Friday, with peak heat indices up to 115°F; AccuWeather reported 167,000 U.S. power outages Tuesday night and said totals could climb as thunderstorms hit.
Why it matters: DOE's emergency order explicitly overrides environmental standards to unlock additional fossil generation — a rare federal intervention that shows how thin the margin is on the largest U.S. grid. Data centers driving the demand surge now face ordered curtailment using their own backup generation if Thursday's peak materializes, with no neighboring grid in a position to absorb the spillover.
