The Maximum Generation Alert is targeted at transmission, generation owners, who then determine if any maintenance or testing on equipment can be deferred or canceled.
By deferring maintenance, the units stay online and continue to produce energy that is needed to serve load within PJM.
Additionally, this alert provides notice to neighboring systems that electricity exports from PJM may be curtailed on May 18.
The alert serves as a procedural step that allows those neighboring regions affected to plan accordingly.
PJM issues this alert at the same time as a Load Management Alert, which gives advance notification that load management action may be declared, including non-Emergency and Emergency Demand Response.
Low Voltage Alert
PJM also has issued a Low Voltage Alert for both May 18 and May 19 across its region, which includes 13 states and the District of Columbia.
A Low Voltage Alert is an additional precautionary alert that does not require any action from customers.
The alert is issued to heighten awareness and increase planning, analysis and preparation efforts when high demand is expected in upcoming operating periods, allowing Transmission Owners ample time to coordinate with their distribution companies and take actions to increase voltages resulting in increased transfer capability across the RTO.
A Maintenance Outage Recall is in effect for Monday. The recall requests that all maintenance outages be returned to service by May 18 to increase the amount of generation available to meet customer demand.
Hot Weather Alert
A Hot Weather Alert was issued last week for the entire RTO footprint on May 18 and for PJM’s Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions only on May 19. Read more here.
A Hot Weather Alert is a routine procedure PJM issues ahead of forecasted hot weather and/or high humidity to prepare transmission and generation personnel and facilities for expected increases in electricity demand, or load.
This procedure does not require any action from customers.
Click Here for the PJM announcement.
The PJM Interconnection operates the electric grid in 13 states and the District of Columbia. The states include Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Resource Link:
-- PJM Interconnection Issues Hot Weather Alert For May 18 For Entire Footprint, May 19 For Mid-Atlantic, Southern Regions [PaEN]
PA Oil & Gas Industry/ Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - May 9 to 15: 229 Abandoned Conventional Well Violations This Year; Denied Shale Gas Pipeline Permit; Failed To Cleanup Conventional Spills At 3 Sites For 688 Days [PaEN]
-- DEP Denies Water Encroachment Permit For PA General Energy Co. 3.9 Mile Permanent Access Road, Staging Area In Loyalsock State Forest, Lycoming County [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues 12 Violations To Delta Inland Oil Res LLC For Abandoning, Not Plugging Conventional Oil & Gas Wells In Warren County; 229 Abandonment Violations Issued In 2026, So Far [PaEN]
-- DEP: Penneco Environmental Replacing Tubing, Other Equipment At Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Plum Boro, Allegheny County Due To Leak, Corrosion [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - May 16 [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues Chapter 105 Permit For Coterra Energy, Inc. 4.9 Mile, 20-Inch Shale Gas Fresh Water Pipeline In Auburn Twp., Susquehanna County [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Expand Operating 4 Mile, 16-Inch Shale Gas Fresh Water Pipeline In Auburn Twp., Susquehanna County [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 73 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In May 16 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- DEP To Hold June 23 Hearing On Stormwater Permit For Mora Solar LLC 60 MW, 390-Acre Solar Energy Facility In Kidder Twp., Carbon County [PaEN]
-- DEP Accepting Comments On Tentative Denial Of A Stormwater Permit For Stoneybrook Solar, LLC 20 MW Solar Energy Facility In Orange Twp., Columbia County [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Stormwater Permit For PPL Utilities Chanceford 500kV Transmission Line Rebuild In York County Related To Restart Of Three Mile Island Nuclear Data Center Power Plant [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- DEP Considering Permits For 17 A.I. Data Center Projects, Aware Of 34 Other Proposals; Data Centers In Fast Track Permitting Program Need Same Permits, Meet Same Standards As Everyone Else [PaEN]
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - May 18 [PaEN]
-- PUC Releases Final Order Establishing First-of-Its-Kind Voluntary Large Load (Data Center) Model Tariff Framework [PaEN]
-- PUC Commissioners Tell PA US Senators Federal Permitting Reform Should Maintain State Oversight of Transmission Line Siting Projects [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection Issues Hot Weather Alert For May 18 For Entire Footprint, May 19 For Mid-Atlantic, Southern Regions [PaEN]
-- Guest Essay: Lessons From A Children's Story: If You Give The Oil & Gas Industry A Wellpad, It Will Lead To An Escalating Chain Of More Polluting Gas Infrastructure - By Melissa Ostroff, EarthWorks [PaEN]
-- Environmental Groups Request DEP Do A Science-Based Assessment Of Health, Environmental Risks From Landfill Leachate Contaminated By Radioactive Oil & Gas Drilling Wastes [PaEN]
-- Better Path Coalition Briefing: May 18 Webinar On Data Center Noise - Understanding Community Impacts [PaEN]
-- Clean Air Board Of Central PA To Host May 21 Community Forum On A.I. Data Centers - What Citizens Should Ask Of Data Centers In Carlisle, Cumberland County And Online [PaEN]
-- PA US Sen. Fetterman Introduces Legislation To Promote Development Of LNG Natural Gas Export Facilities; LNG Facilities Proposed In PA Communities Already Burdened By Pollution [PaEN]
-- UGI Energy Services, Prime Data Centers Announce $100 Million Partnership To Develop New Natural Gas Infrastructure For A Power Plant To Feed A.I. Data Center Development, Likely In Cameron, Potter Or Tioga Counties [PaEN]
-- Allegheny National Forest: Visitors Alerted To Conventional Abandoned Oil & Gas Well Plugging Operations Impacting Trail Use In Forest County [PaEN]
-- ‘Emergency’ Upset Natural Gas/Chemical Flares At Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County Burned Overnight From At Least 8:52 p.m. May 10 to 3:30 a.m. May 11 - Breathecam
-- ‘Emergency’ Upset Natural Gas/Chemical Flares At The MarkWest Harmon Creek/Energy Transfer Revolutions Cryogenic Natural Gas Processing Plants Burned All Night Again In Washington County - Live Breathe Project Cameras [May 12]
-- PennTAP Now Accepting Applications For RISE PA Small, Mid-Sized Industry Decarbonization Grants Thru Aug. 17 [PaEN]
-- DEP Now Accepting Applications For RISE PA Medium To Large Industry Decarbonization Grants Thru July 15 [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- The Center Square: Citizens A.I. Data Center Town Hall Speakers Criticize Industry, Shapiro, Secrecy [Vast Extent Of Intense Opposition To PA Data Center Boom Bulldozing Communities Evident In Town Hall]
-- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: Outpouring Of Frustration Over PA’s Rapid A.I. Data Center Growth At Citizens Online Town Hall Meeting
-- Morning Call: What Can Be Done About A.I. Data Centers In Lehigh Valley? Residents Get Some Answers At PA League Of Women Voters Town Hall
-- American-Dream.com Guest Essay: Radioactivity Leaching Out Of Pennsylvania Landfills From Shale Gas Drilling Wastes - By Dr. John F. Stolz, Duquesne University
-- PennLive - John Beauge: DEP Pulls Plug On Permit For PA General Energy Shale Gas Well Access Road, Staging Area In Loyalsock State Forest, Lycoming County
-- WPXI: Environmental Groups Disagree With DEP Study Of Radioactivity In Landfill Leachate From Oil & Gas Drilling Wastes
-- TribLive: Natural Gas Pipeline For 3,200 Acre Homer City A.I. Data Center 4.5 GW Power Plant Draws Fierce Pushback At DEP Hearing In Indiana County
-- Pipeline & Gas Journal: UGI To Build Natural Gas Infrastructure To Support Large-Scale A.I. Hyperscale Data Center Campus Development In Northern Tier PA [Cameron, Potter, Tioga Counties]
-- Environmental Defense Fund Blog: Pennsylvania PUC Moves To Protect Utility Customers From A.I. Data Center Costs With Model Tariff
-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Philadelphia Gas Commission Rejects PGW’s Expanded Port Richmond LNG Gas Plant Until Further Study
-- AP: As Electric Bills Rise, Some States Are Focusing On The Growing Profits Of Utilities [PA Featured]
-- TribLive Guest Essay: How To Save Billions On Energy Bills - Set PJM Price Cap At $175/MWday Not Present $325 - By Kevin Walker, President, Duquesne Light Co
-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: UGI Natural Gas Supply Cost For Default Customers Not Changing June 1; Will Be An Increase Dec. 1
-- Wall Street Journal: The Oil Shock Is Causing A $45 Billion Rupture In The Economy Slamming Consumers While Boosting Investors
-- Financial Times: President’s Iran War Is Ripping Across The US Economy At A Cost Of Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars In Lost Output, Soaring Fuel Prices, Rising Borrowing Costs, Supply Chain Disruptions [PDF of Article]
-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: PECO Signs Agreements With A.I. Data Centers Requiring Them To Pay For Their Own Grid Upgrades
-- Utility Dive: PPL Utilities ‘Advanced Stage’ A.I. Data Center Pipeline Grew To 28.3 GW In Pennsylvania; Unregulated PPL-Blackstone Generation Venture Ordering Gas Turbines
-- Utility Dive: PJM Grid Operator May Be ‘Too Big To Function:’ FERC Chairman Swett
[Posted: May 18, 2026] PA Environment Digest
