Eastern US Power Grid Orders Cuts, Issues System-Wide Emergency

PJM, a vast electric grid that spans from Illinois to New Jersey, has declared a rare system-wide emergency and is ordering some customers to curtail demand as a huge winter storm causes power use to soar.

PJM Interconnection has declared a Stage 2 emergency, which requires customers to cut power during times of extreme need. This is one of the last things a grid manager can do to avoid a Stage 3 emergency. It would be devastating for as many as 65 million people who rely on the grid for power to be cut off.

Susan Buehler said in an interview that the Stage 2 emergency will be enough to prevent rotating shutoffs. She said that it was much colder than the grid operator had predicted.

There was a storm in the US and Canada.

PJM has never seen a system-wide Stage 2 emergency. According to the grid operator, the last time an emergency like this was declared was in March of 2014). Hundreds of thousands of people in 25 states are without power due to this week's storm. Rolling black outs were ordered by the Tennessee Valley Authority to deal with overwhelming demand.

Businesses are required to enroll in demand response programs during stage 2 emergencies. Companies agree to cut consumption in exchange for payments.