UPDATED 6 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 27

PJM continues to operate through the extreme cold temperatures and corresponding high electricity use brought to the PJM region by Winter Storm Fern.

Depending on temperatures, PJM could set a new all-time winter peak load this week in the area it serves, which includes 13 states and the District of Columbia.

Electricity demand on Tuesday morning (Jan. 27) was approximately 137,000 MW, lower than forecast due to warmer temperatures and continued school and government closings.  

The extreme cold is currently expected to continue through Sunday, Feb. 1, so PJM is taking additional precautions with its generation and transmission owners to prepare.

Latest Actions

Maximum Generation Alert and Load Management Alert

A Maximum Generation Alert and Load Management Alert currently in effect will expire 11:59 p.m. Jan. 27.

The alert is targeted at transmission/generation owners, who then determine if any maintenance or testing on equipment can be deferred or canceled. By deferring maintenance, the units stay online and continue to produce energy that is needed.

Additionally, this alert provides notice to neighboring systems that electricity exports from PJM may be curtailed on Jan. 27. The alert serves as a procedural step that allows those neighboring regions affected to plan accordingly.

PJM issues this alert at the same time as a Load Management Alert, which gives advance notification that load management action may be declared, including non-Emergency and Emergency Demand Response.

Low Voltage Alert

A  Low Voltage Alert remains in effect across its footprint through Jan. 31. A Low Voltage Alert is an additional precautionary alert that does not require any action from customers.

The alert is issued to heighten awareness and increase planning, analysis and preparation efforts when heavy loads and low voltages are possible in upcoming operating periods, allowing Transmission Owners ample time to take actions to increase voltages resulting in increased transfer capability across the RTO.

U.S. Department of Energy Expedited Process for Running Backup Generation

On Monday (Jan. 26), in response to a DOE letter of Jan. 22, 2026, PJM requested an order under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act authorizing PJM in collaboration with its Transmission Owners to direct the deployment of customer-owned backup generation facilities if needed to avoid or mitigate any load shed event during the current extreme winter weather. 

The DOE issued the order on Monday evening.

PJM is working with the DOE to identify data center customers who have volunteered to go onto backup generation if needed in an emergency.

The DOE’s expedited process for grid operators to obtain emergency orders for use of backup generators will be helpful as a last resort to avoid impacts to residential customers if the PJM generation fleet or transmission system were to experience major outages.

Forecast Peaks

As of Jan. 27, PJM is expecting to serve the following approximate peak loads through Sunday, Feb. 1:

Date	Forecast Peak Load
Wednesday, Jan. 28	144,400 MW
Thursday, Jan. 29	145,300 MW
Friday, Jan. 30	148,000 MW
Saturday, Jan. 31	133,000 MW
Sunday, Feb. 1	127,700 MW

These numbers are official as of 3 p.m. Jan. 27. They are subject to change and will be updated periodically.

Load forecasts can be viewed on the PJM Now application, PJM Data Viewer (72 hours) and PJM Data Miner (seven days).

Additional Actions

U.S. DOE 202c Order Regarding Operating Limits

PJM continues to take precautions to aggressively support its generation fleet. On Sunday morning, Jan. 25, the U.S. Department of Energy issued an order pursuant to section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, in response to PJM’s Jan. 24 application for relief.

The order allows PJM to run all electric generating units located within the PJM region to operate up to their maximum generation output levels, notwithstanding air quality or other permit limitations or fuel shortages while the emergency lasts. This order is effective through Jan. 31.

PJM currently has sufficient resources to serve load but may implement the order as appropriate given the record electricity demand expected this week.

Pre-Emergency Demand Response Called in BGE, DOM, PEPCO

Also as a precautionary measure, PJM activated Demand Response customers in parts of the Mid-Atlantic on Sunday, Jan. 25. PJM called on Pre-Emergency Demand Response for BGE, Dominion and Pepco areas for Sunday afternoon/evening to address localized transmission constraints and to preserve the run-time of generators that will be needed for colder weather and higher electricity demand later in the week.

Demand response or load management customers are paid to reduce their electricity consumption to ease load during critical periods.

Cold Weather Alert and Conservative Operations Continue Through Feb. 1

A Cold Weather Alert is currently in effect for the entire region PJM serves has been extended through Feb. 1.

A Cold Weather Alert is a routine procedure PJM issues in advance of significantly cold weather conditions expected for all or parts of the region PJM serves.

When issued, PJM communicates with generation owners to tell them to be prepared to call in additional staff to get all units running for when electricity use begins to increase. Generation owners must take extra care to maintain equipment so that it does not freeze in the cold and are reminded to provide updated information to PJM on limitations to their units, including time required to start and the max and min times that their units can run once started.

A Cold Weather Alert can also be used to defer or reschedule planned generation maintenance outages and/or transmission outages and/or recall transmission/generator outages, if necessary.

PJM has also issued a Conservative Operations declaration for Jan. 24 through Feb. 1 for advance unit commitments.

There are any number of events that may require PJM to operate more conservatively. When PJM declares Conservative Operations, system operators have more flexibility to make decisions to maintain reliability. The declaration of Conservative Operations may include additional actions, including recalling/cancelling non-critical maintenance outages, reductions in transfers into, across or through the PJM RTO, increased reserves, and/or additional requests placed upon PJM member transmission owners and generation owners.

See PJM’s Emergency Procedures and Messages fact sheet (PDF) for more information.

Maintenance Outage Recall

Additionally, PJM issued a generator maintenance outage recall on Jan. 21, requesting for all maintenance outages to be returned to service by Jan. 24 in order to increase the amount of generation available to meet customer demand. The generator maintenance outage recall is expected to remain in place until further notice.