U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has issued an emergency order aimed at preventing energy shortfalls in the Mid-Atlantic region. The directive requires PJM Interconnection, working with Constellation Energy, to keep Units 3 and 4 of the Eddystone Generating Station in Pennsylvania available for operation. The goal is to reduce the risk of generation shortages 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.”
The Department of Energy’s Grid Reliability Evaluation indicates that if reliable power sources continue to be retired without adequate replacements, power outages could become much more frequent by 2030.
Secretary Wright had previously ordered the two Eddystone units to remain online past their planned retirement date through a May 30, 2025 emergency order. Over the last three months, these units have been used during regional heat waves in June and July, which helped maintain energy security for PJM’s network.
The conditions prompting this latest emergency order are ongoing. The current directive takes effect on August 28, 2025, and will remain active until November 26, 2025.
PJM has raised concerns about resource adequacy for several years. In a February 2023 report, PJM highlighted growing risks related to the timing mismatch between retiring older resources and bringing new ones online as electricity demand increases. In December 2024, PJM filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) stating that there were “substantial increases” in load additions and its resource adequacy concerns were rising rapidly (https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/118040/witnesses/HHRG-119-IF03-Wstate-AsthanaM-20250325.pdf).
During a March 2025 hearing before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Manu Asthana, President and CEO of PJM Interconnection, testified about a “growing resource adequacy concern . . . impacting a significant part of our country.”
