The operator of the nation’s largest electrical grid has asked the federal government for emergency authority to bypass environmental regulations and run massive backup generators to avoid rolling blackouts during a dangerous heatwave expected this week.
In a letter sent Saturday, June 27, 2026, to U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, PJM Interconnection requested immediate intervention under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act. The grid operator wants the power to order major industrial operations—including data centers and tech facilities—to disconnect from the public grid and run on their own backup power sources if the system faces a supply crisis.
PJM manages the power supply for more than 67 million people across all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia.
Record Demand and Extreme Heat
The emergency request comes as weather forecasts predict temperatures climbing into the 90s and topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit between June 29 and July 3, 2026, with the heat index rising to over 105 degrees in Ohio.
PJM officials project that electricity demand could hit 159,563 megawatts on Wednesday, July 1, and surge to approximately 162,860 megawatts on Thursday, July 2.
Michael E. Bryson, PJM’s senior vice president of operations, wrote that the combination of extreme temperatures, power plant capacity shortages, and transmission bottlenecks could create critically tight electricity reserves.
Targeting Data Centers and Bypassing Air Rules
To protect residential neighborhoods and small businesses from losing power, PJM wants to target “large loads.” The grid operator defines these as data centers, cloud computing facilities, and other commercial or industrial sites that use 50 megawatts or more of electricity at a single point.
Under the plan, regional utilities could order these massive facilities to switch over to their on-site backup generators within 15 minutes.
However, because these backup systems are typically powered by heavy-emitting fossil-fuel engines, PJM is asking the Department of Energy to allow their operation “notwithstanding any applicable environmental limitations under federal, state, or local law or regulation.”
PJM has already ordered power plants and transmission lines to cancel or delay scheduled maintenance to keep all available power online. The grid operator requested that the Department of Energy issue the emergency order by noon on Tuesday, June 30, to remain in effect through midnight on July 3, 2026.
