PJM Interconnect Issues Cold Weather Alert For Western Region Jan. 23 Expanding To Entire PJM Area Jan. 24-27; Regional Grid Could Exceed Winter Demand Record on Jan. 27 & 30

On January 22, the PJM Interconnection issued a Cold Weather Alert for its Western Region on January 23 that will expand to its entire footprint January 24 to 27.

Peak demand has the potential to exceed 130,000 MW for seven straight days next week, a winter streak that PJM has never experienced. 

PJM's winter peak demand record is 143,700 MW set in January 2025.

PJM's projections as of now have the regional grid exceeding that record on January 27 at 147,300 MW and on January 30 at 146,000 MW.

PJM said the cold weather could extend into early February, so PJM is taking additional precautions with its generation and transmission owners to prepare.

“This is a formidable arctic cold front coming our way, and it will impact our neighboring systems as much as it affects PJM,” said Mike Bryson, Sr. Vice President – Operations. “We will be relying on our generation fleet to perform as well as they did during last year’s record winter peak.”

PJM's Western Region includes these Pennsylvania utilities: Duquesne Light, West Penn Power and Penn Power.

A Cold Weather Alert tells generation owners to be prepared to call in additional staff to get all units running for when electricity use begins to increase. 

Generation owners must take extra care to maintain equipment so that it does not freeze in the cold [especially natural gas-fired power plants] and are reminded to provide updated information to PJM on limitations to their units, including time required to start and the max and min times that their units can run once started.

PJM also issued a generator maintenance outage recall on Jan. 21, requesting for all maintenance outages to be returned to service by Jan. 24 in order to increase the amount of generation available to meet customer demand. 

The generator maintenance outage recall is expected to remain in place until further notice.

PJM issued Cold Weather Alerts for its Western Region on January 19 and its entire footprint on January 20.  Read more here.

Click Here for the PJM announcement.

Visit the PJM Interconnection website for more information.

NewsClips:

-- Bloomberg: Cold Blast Threatens To Cut US Natural Gas Output By Most Since 2021 Over Next 14 Days, Energy Aspects Says

-- Reuters: PJM Interconnection Expects All-Time Record Winter Electricity Demand Jan. 27

Related Articles This Week:

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-- Gov. Shapiro: Major Utilities, Power Producers, Tech Companies, Experts Endorse Federal/Northeast PJM Governors’ Plan To Meet Surging A.I. Data Center Energy Demands - Will PJM Listen?  [PaEN] 

-- PA House Committees Hearing: Witnesses Agree - A.I. Data Centers - Real And Purely Speculative - Are Driving Up The Cost Of Electricity; Without Effective Action Energy Increases Will Not End   [PaEN] 

-- Shale Gas & Public Health Conference -- Our Work, Our Health: Building A Future Beyond Sacrifice To Be Held Feb. 19 In Pittsburgh, Online  [PaEN]  

NewsClips:

-- WITF: PA Consumer Advocates Urge House Committees To Tax A.I. Data Centers, Offset Home Energy Spikes At Hearing

-- Post-Gazette: PA House Members Hear Warnings On A.I. Data Centers, Rising Electric Costs At Hearing

-- Tribune-Democrat: Electric Grid Concerns Aired By PA Lawmakers As Frigid Weather Settles In

-- Reuters: PJM Interconnection Expects All-Time Record Winter Electricity Demand Jan. 27 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Considering $1.7 Billion Transmission Line Project Across PA Based On Year-Old A.I. Data Center Demand Forecasts Is A ‘Poster Child’ For Overbuilding, According To PA Consumer Advocate

-- Inside Climate News: Clean Energy Advocates Criticise ‘Glaring’ Omission In White House/Northeast Governor’s Plan To Fuel A.I. Data Centers In PJM Region

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: Beyond NIMBY vs. Progress: How Pennsylvania Can Secure A ‘Durable Yes’ For A.I. Data Centers [Honestly Address Issues Of Concern] - By Desmond Daley, Pittsburgh Resident

-- WHYY: As Electricity Rates Soar, PECO Adds $2.5 Million In Aid For Low-Income Customers 

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Prices Soar 75% In 3 Days As Arctic Cold Grips The US

-- Reuters: US Refineries Brace For Disruptions As Arctic Blast Hits

-- Reuters: US Energy Secretary Calls For Doubling Global Oil Output In Davos

-- The Guardian: Why President Is Worried A.I. Data Centers Might Cost His Party An Election

[Posted: January 22, 2026]  PA Environment Digest