U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has issued an emergency order to address the risk of electricity shortages in the Mid-Atlantic region. The directive requires PJM Interconnection, working with Constellation Energy, to keep Units 3 and 4 at Pennsylvania’s Eddystone Generating Station available for operation. The measure is intended to reduce the chances of generation shortfalls that could result in power outages.
“With unprecedented energy demand and resource retirements outpacing new generation additions, the country is facing an energy emergency. Today’s order proves that the Trump Administration is dedicated to confronting this critical issue,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “This administration considers power outages and soaring energy costs to be unacceptable.”
A report from the Department of Energy warns that if reliable power continues to be removed from service, power outages could become 100 times more frequent by 2030.
The current order follows a previous emergency directive issued on May 30, 2025, which also kept these two Eddystone units online past their planned retirement date. Over the last three months, PJM has used these units during regional heat waves in June and July, supporting grid reliability.
The emergency conditions prompting this latest action remain present. The new order takes effect on August 28, 2025, and will remain active until November 26, 2025.
PJM Interconnection has been raising concerns about resource adequacy for several years. In February 2023, PJM released a report highlighting increasing risks due to a mismatch between retiring resources, rising demand, and slower entry of new generation capacity.
In December 2024 filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), PJM noted significant increases in expected load additions and described its growing concerns over resource adequacy (https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/118040/witnesses/HHRG-119-IF03-Wstate-AsthanaM-20250325.pdf).
During testimony before Congress in March 2025, Manu Asthana—President and CEO of PJM—reiterated these concerns about grid reliability affecting large parts of the country.