The administration announced an emergency order for 17 states to manage power grid strain during intense heat waves.
The administration announced an emergency order for 17 states to manage power grid strain during intense heat waves. This order allows the Southwest Power Pool to utilize backup generation resources to prevent rolling blackouts as temperatures rise across the central and southwest regions of the United States. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright stated that the administration is tapping into an abundant supply of unused backup generation to maintain affordable and reliable power for American families and businesses. The order, which runs through August 3, serves as a last resort before the implementation of Level 3 Energy Emergency Alerts. While the Southwest Power Pool remains stable, the region is under a Conservative Operations Advisory due to high temperatures and low output from variable energy resources like wind. Experts note that the growing demand from data centers and the artificial intelligence sector is further straining the grid, requiring significant investment to ensure long-term reliability.