Secretary Wright issues an emergency order to stabilize the grid amid unseasonably warm temperatures
May 18, 2026
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WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today issued an emergency order authorizing the deployment of backup generation resources to help mitigate blackouts in the Mid-Atlantic amid a heatwave and elevated transmission and generation outages tied to seasonal maintenance outages. The order authorizes PJM Interconnection, LLC (PJM) to deploy backup generation resources at data centers and other major facilities. PJM is authorized to call upon its Transmission Owners and Electric Distribution Companies to implement this order as needed. Today’s order follows a request for the action that PJM submitted on May 17, 2026.
“The Trump administration is committed to unleashing all available power generation needed to keep Americans safe amid the heatwave,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Wright. “The Trump administration will continue taking action to ensure that untapped backup generation can be deployed in the mid-Atlantic region as needed during the heatwave and in the future.”
DOE estimates more than 35 GW of unused backup generation remains available nationwide.
Backup generation was used in February of this year, when DOE issued three emergency orders to prevent blackouts and save lives in Florida as exceptionally low temperatures impacted the state.
On day one, President Trump declared a national energy emergency after the Biden administration’s energy subtraction agenda left behind a grid increasingly vulnerable to blackouts.
Power outages cost the American people $44 billion per year, according to data from DOE’s National Laboratories. This order will help mitigate the possibility of power outages in the Mid-Atlantic and highlights the commonsense policies of the Trump administration to ensure Americans have access to affordable, reliable and secure electricity.
This order is in effect from May 18, 2026, through May 20, 2026.
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