U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has issued an emergency order to address the risk of energy shortages in the Mid-Atlantic region. The order directs PJM Interconnection, working with Constellation Energy, to keep Units 3 and 4 of the Eddystone Generating Station in Pennsylvania available for operation. The move aims to reduce the risk of generation shortfalls that could cause power outages.
“With unprecedented energy demand and resource retirements outpacing new generation additions, the country is facing an energy emergency. Today’s order proves that the Trump Administration is dedicated to confronting this critical issue,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “This administration considers power outages and soaring energy costs to be unacceptable.”
According to a Department of Energy Grid Reliability Evaluation, if reliable power continues to be taken offline, power outages in the United States could increase significantly by 2030.
The two Eddystone units were originally scheduled for retirement but have been kept online since a previous emergency order was issued on May 30, 2025. Over the past three months, these units provided electricity during heat waves in June and July, supporting energy security in the PJM region.
The current emergency conditions remain, prompting this latest order which will take effect from August 28 through November 26, 2025.
PJM Interconnection has expressed concerns about resource adequacy for several years. In a February 2023 report, PJM noted increasing reliability risks due to delays between retiring old resources and adding new ones. In December 2024, PJM informed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that it faces substantial increases in load and that its resource adequacy concerns are growing rapidly (https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/118040/witnesses/HHRG-119-IF03-Wstate-AsthanaM-20250325.pdf). During a March 2025 hearing before Congress, PJM’s President & CEO testified about rising concerns over resource adequacy affecting large parts of the country.
