4th of July, 2026 Storms impact on our Grid
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
UPDATE!!!!
PJM’s own 2026 report shows more than 1,000 MW of diesel behind-the-meter generation registered in demand response, compared with 286 MW of natural gas and only 14 MW in an “other” category that includes fuels such as oil, propane, waste products, and coal.
The temporary DOE authority allowing PJM to direct backup generation at data centers and other large-load facilities expired at 11:59 p.m. on July 7, 2026
July 11, 2026 found this:
PJM Backup-Generation Authority Update
PJM has now made a material procedural change affecting data centers and other large loads with backup generators.
Effective June 24, 2026, PJM added a formal “Emergency Use of Backup Generator” procedure to Manual 13. Under it:
An Emergency Use of Backup Generator Warning starts coordination among PJM, transmission owners, utilities, load-serving entities, and large-load customers to determine how much load in each transmission zone could be transferred to onsite generation.
A later Emergency Use of Backup Generator Action requires participating large loads to be ready to switch to backup generation within 15 minutes.
PJM says this would occur only after available generation and ordinary load management have been exhausted, but before voltage reductions or manual load shedding.
PJM would still seek a DOE Section 202(c) order when federal emergency authority is needed.
This is significant because it converts the data-center backup-generation concept from a last minute emergency arrangement into a standing, detailed PJM operating procedure. The currently expired DOE order itself has not been renewed: Order 202-26-33A expired at 11:59 p.m. ET on July 7, 2026, and DOE’s current 2026 orders page shows no later extension.
PJM has also issued a Hot Weather Alert for July 14–15, 2026, but no Backup Generator Warning or Action is currently posted.
07-14-2026
PJM Hot-Weather Alert Extended
PJM has extended its regional Hot Weather Alert through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, July 17, 2026. The earlier posting covered July 14–15. The alert asks generators and transmission operators to review outages, fuel supplies, alternate-fuel capability, and equipment availability because of expected high electricity demand.
This is not a Backup Generator Warning or Action, and it does not itself authorize PJM to order data centers or other large loads onto onsite generation. DOE Order 202-26-33A, which provided that federal authority, still shows an expiration of 11:59 p.m. on July 7, 2026, with no later renewal listed.
Pennsylvania’s water status is unchanged: Perry and Dauphin Counties remain in Drought Watch; Cumberland remains in Drought Warning. These are still nonmandatory state designations, and no new drought emergency has been declared.
One last thing I found from Cleanview:
TOTAL OPERATING DATA CENTERS IN PENNSYLVANIA: 11-95MW OF ELECTRIC.
PA GENERATES CLOSE TO 1/5 OF THE ELECTRICTIY FOR THE ENTIRE 13 STATE PJM NETWORK.
68 DATA CENTERS IN PA IN THE PLANNING STAGES.
THEY ARE EXPECTED TO ADD 20,800 MW OF POWER CAPACITY.
This staggering pipeline alongside other projects, across the PJM region has driven significant grid stability discussions. PPL electricity rate impacts in the area. (Cleanview)
TOTAL OPERATING DATA CENTERS ON PJM GRID IS 1193 (VA, MARYLAND & PA).
1671 DATA CENTERS IN THE PLANNING STAGE WITHIN THE PJM GRID NETWORK.
TOTAL OPERATING CAPACITY IS OVER 54,666 MW WITH HUNDREDS OF GWs IN THE PLANNING STAGE.
THE IMMENSE DRAW HAS TRIGGERED SEVERE CAPACITY PRICE SPIKES. On July 22, a transmission-line outage in northern Virginia caused many data centers to disconnect from utility power almost simultaneously and switch to backup power. Reuters reports that more than 3 GW of electrical demand suddenly disappeared from PJM’s grid—roughly 3% of PJM load at that moment—creating a voltage disturbance that was detected across a very large portion of the PJM system. Normal conditions were restored after roughly 10 minutes. (Reuters)
From a Perry County resident
While we were at the June 30th meeting, orders regarding the grid emergency were issued.
Anyone with a backup generator was authorized by the DOE to go off grid and run their generators for as long as necessary up until today, I believe.
I do not yet have documentation confirming if this occurred, but authorization was granted if certain conditions came about. If I read the orders correctly, once PJM notified them, they had 15 minutes to go off grid.
There may not have been any instances of going off-grid this time, but it was allowed to happen if necessary.
Can you imagine hundreds of generators in your back yard running 24/7 for days?
Toward the bottom of the report, you'll find estimates of pollution by MW and hours for diesel generators.
Another alert was issued yesterday after I printed this report. I will just add it below for now.
July 6, 2026 — 5:00 PM: PJM issues TLR Level 5a for Flowgate 27750, Peach Bottom–Conastone 5012 500 kV
PJM posted a Level 5a Transmission Loading Relief action for the Peach Bottom–Conastone 500-kV flowgate. Under the NERC TLR procedure, Level 5a means the transmission system remained secure, but the constrained facility was at its applicable operating or reliability limit, qualifying non-firm transactions had already been curtailed, and further system reconfiguration was unavailable or ineffective. PJM could proportionally curtail or reallocate affected firm point-to-point transmission transactions to control loading. The notice does not, by itself, establish that customer load was shed, large-load facilities were disconnected, or backup generators operated.
If the grid is this strained now with normal July heat, what happens when the data centers join the grid?
If MRP has not submitted its power and backup plans, how can its application be complete?
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