With the coldest weather since 2015 moving into the PJM footprint of 13 states and the District of Columbia, electricity demand on Wednesday is expected to approach PJM’s all-time winter peak of 143,295 MW, set on Feb. 20, 2015.
PJM has implemented a number of procedures, described below, to enhance the flexibility for operators to react to real-time and forecast system conditions. None of the procedures require any customer actions.
Maximum Generation Alert
On Tuesday, Jan. 21, PJM issued a Maximum Generation Alert and Load Management Alert for Jan. 22 due to continued cold conditions across much of the region served by PJM.
PJM issued the Maximum Generation Alert as a precaution with high energy-demand expected Wednesday and an increased amount of electricity being exported to neighboring regions, who are also experiencing the extreme winter weather. PJM was exporting over 9,000 MW to neighboring systems during Tuesday morning’s peak load.
The alert is a procedural step when all PJM resources are committed that gives PJM the flexibility to reduce electricity exports to those neighbors if needed to maintain PJM’s reserve requirements. The alert also serves to notify neighboring regions that exports of electricity outside of the PJM footprint may need to be curtailed and they should plan accordingly.
PJM issues this alert at the same time as a Load Management Alert, which provides advance notice that demand response resources may be used. In this instance, however, PJM does not anticipate the need to implement Load Management steps.
PJM issues a NERC EEA Level 1, or EEA-1, in conjunction with a Maximum Generation Alert. NERC defines an EEA-1 as when a grid operator foresees or is experiencing conditions where all available resources are committed to meet electricity load, firm transactions, and reserve commitments, and is concerned about sustaining its required contingency reserves. PJM is issuing the NERC EEA 1 for the purposes of notifying external systems that sales may need to be recalled.
Low Voltage Alert
On Sunday afternoon, Jan. 19, PJM issued a Low Voltage Alert through 10 a.m. Thursday to prepare for heavy demand and the potential for tight system conditions. This proactive measure is meant to allow as much electricity as possible to be carried throughout the transmission system, and is a tool to make sure customers have the power they need throughout the cold spell.
The alert signals to transmission/generation dispatchers to halt all deferrable maintenance or testing that affects capacity or critical transmission. In addition, any monitoring or control maintenance work that may affect operation of the system is paused.
Cold Weather Alert
On Friday, Jan. 17, PJM issued a Cold Weather Alert for the entire PJM footprint for Jan. 20–22. PJM will continue to evaluate weather forecasts and extend the alert beyond Wednesday if necessary. 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 a Cold Weather Alert is 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 maximum and minimum 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.
Conservative Operations
PJM also issued a Conservative Operations declaration, which will allow PJM to commit gas generators through Wednesday morning. PJM is working with gas generators to get them online in advance of the approaching cold weather and the holiday weekend.
PJM put this process in place as a result of lessons learned from Winter Storm Elliott over the Christmas holiday in 2022 and other extreme weather events.
There are any number of weather, environmental, physical security or cybersecurity 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 by increasing reserves and/or reducing power flows on selected facilities.
Look for additional updates as we move through the cold weather stretch.