Who is PJM, and why does it matter?
PJM coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity across a wide swath of the eastern US. It does not own most of the power plants. Instead, it directs when and where generation runs so that supply matches demand every moment of the day. Estimates of its reach vary: one industry explainer puts its capacity at enough to power 35 to 45 million homes, while other figures suggest it serves more than 65 million people. Either way, a strain on PJM is a strain on a large share of the country’s population.
What section 202(c) does
Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act gives the Energy Secretary authority to order temporary measures during an emergency, including keeping generation available that might otherwise be restricted. Here, it lets PJM and generation owners operate in ways that environmental permits would normally prohibit, but only as a last resort and only if needed to maintain reliability.
What the order allows
Exceeding pollution limits. Power plants can run above their usual environmental limits if that is what it takes to keep supply flowing. Critics of such orders often point to the added air pollution, while supporters argue the alternative, rolling outages, carries its own serious risks.
Using backup generation. If PJM reaches an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) 3, the point at which electricity supply is critically low, it can direct its members to run backup generators. The order also lets PJM act as a last resort before an EEA 3 is declared.
Maximum Generation Alerts. PJM can notify transmission and generation owners that the system needs maximum output. Those owners can then decide whether to defer or cancel planned maintenance and other services that would take capacity offline.
What happens next
The order sits alongside a PJM Capacity Advisory, which can be issued up to five days in advance. It signals that PJM expects to take specific steps during the period:
- Recall or reschedule generation and transmission maintenance outages
- Notify neighboring grids to prepare for reduced imports from PJM
- Ask members to update information on generator availability, fuel supply concerns and environmental constraints
PJM’s forecast electricity demand, or load, for the affected period:
