Winter peak demand could hit new highs, prompting DOE emergency orders

The U.S. Department of Energy on Saturday and Sunday issued a series of emergency orders intended to help grid operators in New England, Texas and the Mid-Atlantic meet higher anticipated electricity demand during and after Winter Storm Fern.

The 202(c) waivers, requested by PJM Interconnection, ISO New England and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, allow generators to operate at maximum levels “notwithstanding air quality or other permit limitations.”

The storm brought snow and ice to a wide swath of the United States, beginning Friday, and frigid temperatures are forecast to remain all week in some areas. More than 800,000 outages from Texas to Virginia were being tracked by PowerOutage.us on Monday morning.

Read more at Utility Dive