On October 12, 2026, Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued an emergency order to the grid operator that covers a large part of the Midwest and East. The order lasted only a few days. It is part of a pattern of similar orders this year.
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.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright
What Does This Mean For You And I?
A Quick Overview
This particular order was short. It is already over. It applied only to the PJM (Pennsylvania–New Jersey–Maryland) region. Most people outside those 13 states and D.C. will not see a direct change from it.
The bigger picture matters more. Data centers are adding large amounts of new demand. In the PJM area, that demand has already raised capacity costs that show up on bills.
Grid operators and the Department of Energy are using temporary emergency authority more often to keep plants running and to call on backup generators when conditions get tight.
The October order is one more example of the tools the Department is using right now. The January letter and the list of 2026 orders show they expect to keep using them.
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Secretary Wright has said the country has 35 gigawatts of backup generation sitting idle. He has argued that using it for a few hours a year would expand available capacity. The January letter and the repeated orders show the Department is prepared to authorize that use when it finds an emergency.
At the same time, the Department is supporting new data center projects that bring their own generation. The stated goal is to add power overall so that costs do not rise for other customers.
For people in the PJM states, the near-term effect is more frequent use of these emergency tools during high-demand periods. Costs from capacity markets have already risen in those areas because of the demand growth. Whether new generation is built fast enough to match the load will determine if reliability stays tight and whether bills keep climbing.
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Outside PJM, the same national demand growth from data centers is happening. Other regions have their own rules about who pays for the infrastructure. The Department’s approach of using emergency orders to bridge gaps is available in any region if the conditions meet the legal standard.
Until next time….
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Sources
2. Department of Energy press release: https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-secretary-secures-mid-atlantic-grid-ahead-anticipated-stressed-system-conditions
3. 2026 DOE 202(c) Orders list: https://www.energy.gov/ceser/2026-doe-202c-orders
4. January 2026 letter on backup generation: https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-secretary-prepares-unleash-backup-generation-ahead-winter-storm-fern
5. Reuters on FERC data center registry and 29 GW projection: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-panel-approves-pjms-registry-data-centers-rejects-plan-curtail-power-them-2026-10-12/