MARYLAND (WBFF) — In the midst of the heat wave, as temperatures rise, so do the concerns about Maryland’s electric grid. With increasing demand and supply that isn’t keeping up, the Department of Energy just issued an order allowing data centers and other large load customers to use back-up generation.
Earlier this week, in a request to the DOE, Michael Bryson, the Senior Vice President of Operations for PJM Interconnection – the regional grid representing 13 states and D.C. said, “the forecasted demand raises a significant risk of emergency conditions that could jeopardize electric reliability and public safety.”
In response, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said, “I have made the determination that an emergency exists in the PJM region due to an abrupt, unexpected increase in demand for electric energy relative to prior forecasts, a shortage of electric energy, a shortage of facilities for the generation of electric energy, and other causes.”
As a result, Wright issued an order which said PJM is authorized to direct backup generation resources to operate at data centers, including hyperscaler facilities, and at other large load industrial and commercial customer sites as another tool to mitigate any undue risk to the power system and reduce stress on the grid. It is described as a “last resort” before declaring an Energy Emergency Alert.
However, the order does not apply to defense, homeland security, first responders, air traffic control, hospital facilities, 911 call centers, water treatment or wastewater facilities, natural gas pipeline facilities, natural gas gathering facilities, or other similar facilities.
“Currently, there are tens of gigawatts of readily available backup generation that have remained largely untapped,” Wright said in the order.
He said deployment of backup generation resources “can prevent avoidable blackouts, thereby saving lives and reducing costs to the American people.”
PJM also received approval for power generation facilities to operate even if they surpass pollution limits. During high-stress times, seeking proactive emergency orders and requesting the ability to call on backup generation is often routine to protect grid reliability.
“We’re right at the brink all of the time,” said Republican Delegate Brian Chisholm. “So, when we have these very severe weather conditions, either hot or cold, it’s going to put a major strain on the grid, and that’s where we stand right now.”
Chisholm, who is a member of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, has been critical of state energy policy, especially with the Maryland importing about 40% of its energy. He has long called for the state to increase generation using fossil-fuel plants. He argues its a problem when the grid operator asks the federal government to step in.
“PJM comes out with an edict that says we need some of the large producers or large users of generation to scale back, which means we need them to go on their backup generating systems, which is diesel fuel, and a lot of times, or they’re asking people to conserve, and I’ve said from the beginning we are never going to be able to work our way out of this by reducing demand,” Chisholm said.
“What we need to do in the state of Maryland is get the government out of the way, reduce a lot of these unnecessary mandates that are doing nothing but choking the supply line into the state and choking these generators out of the state,” he added.
In response, a spokesperson from Governor Wes Moore’s Office said, “Governor Moore has been leading the charge on making our energy grid more affordable and reliable, holding our grid operators to account while delivering direct relief to Maryland families. Grid stress during record heat is a regional challenge no single state can solve alone, but PJM is doing exactly what a grid operator should do to keep the lights on this week. Maryland is working to strengthen the system through new generation, advanced transmission technologies, and storage – even as the Trump administration blocks energy generation that would be quicker, faster, and cheaper for Marylanders.”
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