CONFIRMED: The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced the order on 12 October 2026 and has published the signed order, DOE Order No. 202-26-50, together with PJM’s application. The order runs from 13 to 16 October 2026.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright “issued an emergency order to mitigate blackout risks in the mid-Atlantic ahead of a period of elevated demand, a high rate of planned generator outages during the autumn maintenance season, and numerous planned transmission outages,” the DOE said [1].
The order is directed at PJM Interconnection, which runs the grid across all or parts of 13 states and Washington, DC, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and Illinois [2].
What the order does
According to the DOE, the order “directs PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM) to dispatch specified units and to order their operation as needed to maintain reliability and authorizes PJM to direct backup generation resources to operate as a last resort before declaring an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) 3 or during an EEA 3” [1].
PJM can also call on its Transmission Owners and Electric Distribution Companies to put the order into effect. The order “was issued pursuant to an application from PJM submitted on October 11, 2026” and “is effective October 13, 2026, through October 16, 2026,” the DOE said [1].
It was issued under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, which lets the Energy Secretary order generation or transmission of electricity during an emergency [2].
What is an EEA 3? Grid operators in North America use three levels of Energy Emergency Alert. EEA 3 is the most serious: the operator cannot meet demand even after using all the power it has, and it may have to cut power to some customers on purpose (rolling blackouts, or “firm load interruption” in the order’s words) to keep the whole system from failing. The order lets PJM switch on backup generators as a last step just before that point, or during it [2].
Why PJM asked for it
In the order, the DOE sets out PJM’s own figures [2]:
- PJM forecast demand “at or around 111,500 MW (or higher)” on 13 October.
- It reported that it was “forecasted to be within 900 MW of its reserve margin on October 14, 2026.”
- Generation outages were expected to reach about 61,591 MW across PJM, with the most serious problems in the BGE, PEPCO and Dominion zones (covering parts of Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia).
PJM also pointed to limits on moving power into the region, including from the neighbouring MISO grid [2][3].
The data-centre angle
The DOE press release does not mention data centres. The order itself does. It says PJM “seeks to unlock and deploy backup generation resources … at data centers (including, but not limited to, hyperscaler facilities) and at other large load industrial and commercial customer sites” [2]. These backup systems can be “auxiliary, standby, directly-connected, battery storage, or other” [2].
The idea, according to the order, is that large sites run on their own backup power instead of drawing from the grid, which “is expected to reduce stress on the grid” [2]. The order does not apply to backup power at hospitals, 911 call centres, water treatment, defence, first responder, air traffic control or natural gas facilities [2].
Because these generators, and the listed power plants, may break environmental limits, the order restricts their use to the times PJM needs them and requires daily reports to the DOE. Emissions and running hours under the order will not be counted toward rolling-average permit limits [2].
The specified power plants are listed in PJM’s Exhibit A and include gas, oil and coal units in Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia [4].
The DOE estimates “more than 35 GW of unused backup generation remains available nationwide” [1]. That is the DOE’s estimate; it does not say how much is in the PJM region.
What Wright said
“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,” Wright said [1].
He added a political point: “While past leaders’ energy subtraction policies have made the grid more vulnerable to the risk of blackouts when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow, this administration remains committed to using every available tool to prevent blackouts” [1]. That is Wright’s view; the order itself cites demand, planned plant and transmission outages, and transfer limits [2].
What this means
- A short, targeted measure. The order covers four days, 13 to 16 October, and backup generation is a last resort before or during the most serious grid emergency.
- Data-centre generators as a grid tool. The order names data centres, including hyperscaler sites, among the places PJM wants to draw backup power from, so they would run on their own generators rather than the grid.
- No blackout has been declared. The order gives PJM tools to use if needed. Whether any backup generation was actually called on is not yet known.
- TSN background: Who pays for, and who supplies, power for AI data centres has been a recurring TSN story, from Duke’s data-centre deal and on-site gas to Google’s nuclear power deals, and TSN’s register of data-centre power failures (see Related stories below).
Sources
- US Department of Energy, “Energy Secretary Secures Mid-Atlantic Grid Ahead of Anticipated Stressed System Conditions”, 12 October 2026. https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-secretary-secures-mid-atlantic-grid-ahead-anticipated-stressed-system-conditions
- US Department of Energy, Order No. 202-26-50 (PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., Regarding Specified and Backup Generation Resources), signed by Chris Wright, 12 October 2026. https://www.energy.gov/documents/doe-order-no-202-26-50 (order page: https://www.energy.gov/ceser/federal-power-act-section-202c-pjm-interconnection-llc-pjm-order-no-202-26-50)
- PJM Interconnection, 202(c) Application to the Secretary of Energy, 11 October 2026. https://www.energy.gov/documents/pjms-202c-application-202-26-50
- PJM Interconnection, Exhibit A – Specified Resources (version 1, 12 October 2026). https://www.energy.gov/documents/pjms-202c-application-exhibit-202-26-50
Related stories
- Who Pays for AI’s Power? Duke’s Data-Centre Deal, Google in Indiana and the Rush to On-Site Gas
- Google’s 890 MW nuclear uprates deal with Constellation: more power from plants already running
- Data-Centre Fires and Power Failures in Public Reports Rose From 8 in 2024 to 20 in 2025, With 19 Already in 2026
