The Department of Energy issued emergency orders for the nation’s largest electric grid operator, PJM Interconnection, and an order that allows for the deployment of backup generation assets in Texas due to a winter storm pummeling the East Coast.
The agency on Sunday issued two separate orders for Texas and for PJM to mitigate possible blackouts caused by the storm.
“As Winter Storm Fern brings extreme cold and dangerous conditions to the Mid-Atlantic, maintaining affordable, reliable, and secure power in the PJM region is non-negotiable,” Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in a statement. “The previous administration’s energy subtraction policies weakened the grid, leaving Americans more vulnerable during events like Winter Storm Fern.”…