WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Department of Energy issued an emergency order allowing PJM Interconnection and Talen Energy Corporation to continue operating Unit 4 at the Wagner Generating Station in Maryland beyond normal operating limits as grid operators brace for elevated summer electricity demand across the Mid-Atlantic.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright authorized the action under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act following a May 21 request from PJM, which cited ongoing resource adequacy concerns and the risk of insufficient generating capacity during periods of high temperatures and generator outages.
The Department of Energy said the order took effect May 22, 2026, and remains in place through August 19, 2026.
The emergency action applies to Wagner Unit 4, an oil-fired generating unit in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, that PJM said could face restrictions on available operating hours under existing environmental or operational limits during periods of elevated grid stress.
“Energy shortfalls for 65 million Americans are simply unacceptable,” Wright said. “Today’s order helps temporarily address the urgent need to strengthen grid reliability and ensure Americans across the mid-Atlantic region have access to affordable, reliable and secure power regardless of whether the sun shines or wind blows.”
The order marks another federal intervention aimed at preserving dispatchable power generation within the PJM market, which serves all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia.
Wright previously approved requests allowing PJM to operate Wagner Unit 4 beyond its standard operating limits, according to the department.
PJM warned in its application that continued reliance on the unit during periods of “atypically high seasonal temperatures and generator outages” could exhaust the remaining allowable run hours for the facility without emergency federal authorization.
The department said the “growing resource adequacy concern” PJM identified in a July 2025 request “still exists today.”
Federal energy officials have increasingly raised concerns over tightening reserve margins in the PJM region as electricity demand rises and conventional generating resources retire faster than replacement capacity is added.
The emergency order is intended to ensure continued electricity reliability during the summer peak-demand season while PJM manages operational risks associated with supply shortages and extreme weather events.
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