Washington DC and the surrounding region are facing a potential strain on the electricity grid this week, prompting federal officials to take emergency steps to keep power on.
The U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency order effective Tuesday through Friday, Oct. 16, directing regional grid operator PJM Interconnection to make additional electricity generation available as needed. The order comes as the region prepares for elevated demand and an unusually high number of planned power plant and transmission line outages.
What the grid emergency means for DC-area residents
The order does not mean widespread power outages are likely.
Instead, it gives PJM additional tools to help prevent electricity shortages, including bringing specified power generation resources online and, if needed, directing
certain large electricity users to operate backup generators instead of drawing power from the grid.
PJM expected electricity use to reach at least 111,500 megawatts Tuesday, while the amount of extra power available to meet demand could fall to a concerning level Wednesday. The grid operator also expected thousands of megawatts of power generation to be offline, with particular concerns in areas served by Baltimore Gas and Electric, Pepco and Dominion Energy.
PJM has also issued a capacity emergency alert for Tuesday, indicating that electricity supplies are tightening and additional steps may be needed to meet demand. The grid operator said those steps could include bringing more power plants online or returning generators from planned maintenance.
If available supplies become insufficient, grid operators have emergency procedures that can include asking customers to reduce electricity use and, in extreme circumstances, directing controlled outages to protect the broader system.
The order is intended to reduce that risk, not signal that outages will happen. It applies across PJM's multistate territory, which includes DC, Maryland and Virginia, and is scheduled to remain in effect through Friday.
Residents are encouraged to monitor updates from their electric utilities and local emergency officials for any instructions or changes in conditions.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Could Washington DC-area residents lose power during grid emergency?
