U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has issued an emergency order to address ongoing grid reliability concerns in the Mid-Atlantic region. The directive instructs PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., working with Constellation Energy Corporation, to keep Units 3 and 4 at the Eddystone Generating Station in Pennsylvania available for operation. The order also calls for economic dispatch to help reduce costs for consumers. These units had been scheduled for shutdown on May 31, 2025.
Secretary Wright stated, “The energy sources that perform when you need them most are inherently the most valuable—that’s why natural gas and oil were valuable during recent winter storms. Hundreds of American lives have likely been saved because of President Trump’s actions keeping critical generation online, including this Pennsylvania generating station which ran during Winter Storm Fern. This emergency order will mitigate the risk of blackouts and maintain affordable, reliable, and secure electricity access across the region.”
During Winter Storm Fern from January 26-29, Eddystone Units 3 and 4 operated for over 124 hours combined, providing essential power during an energy emergency.
According to the Department of Energy’s Resource Adequacy Report, if reliable power continues to be removed from service, outages could increase significantly by 2030. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) 2025 Long-Term Reliability Assessment notes that a shift toward more weather-dependent resources and less fuel diversity raises the risk of supply shortages during winter months.
Previous orders to keep these units running past their planned retirement date were issued on May 30, August 28, and November 26 of 2025. Their continued operation has contributed to regional energy security as they were called upon during both summer heat waves and winter storms.
The current emergency order is effective from February 24 through May 24, 2026.
The Department of Energy has taken additional steps in recent years to support grid resilience and energy affordability. For example, it announced a $225 million program funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to implement updated building energy codes aimed at lowering utility bills (https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-launches-225-million-program-lower-utility-bills-through-more). In July 2022, DOE also highlighted its commitment to clean energy transitions by inviting international partners to participate in the Global Clean Energy Action Forum (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sebmi2QGbV4).
DOE officials have underscored the importance of technology development and national laboratory involvement in addressing environmental challenges before Congress (https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/technology-development-aiding-em-mission-senior-advisor-white-tells-congress), while innovative processes such as using crushed marble at Savannah River Site have been applied to address groundwater issues (https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/srs-tackles-groundwater-issue-using-innovative-passive-energy-process).
Efforts to decarbonize transportation continue as well; DOE announced $96 million in funding opportunities for advancing electric vehicle technologies and reducing carbon emissions (https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-96-million-advancing-clean-vehicle-technologies-reduce-carbon-emissions). Additionally, DOE supports President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative through over one hundred programs focused on delivering clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities (https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-more-140-programs-supporting-president-bidens-justice40-initiative).
