The U.S. Department of Energy has ordered PJM and Constellation Energy to keep the 760-MW Eddystone Generating Station online through May 24, extending an emergency order that has been in place since the plant’s final two gas-fired units were to deactivate May 31, 2025.
In an announcement of the Federal Power Act Section 202(c) order, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the units helped PJM keep the grid reliable during the late January 2026 winter storm — dubbed Fern by The Weather Channel — during which Eddystone ran for 124 hours. The order states the generator, which is outside Philadelphia, must remain online because of “a shortage of facilities for the generation of electric energy and other causes.”
“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,” Wright said. “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.”
The order is the third 90-day mandate for PJM and Constellation, which owns Eddystone, to keep Units 3 and 4 online. DOE has also ordered Consumers Energy to keep its 1.45-GW J.H. Campbell coal generator in western Michigan to stay online until May 18 under a similar order. (See DOE Reups Campbell Coal Plant Emergency Ops; Losses Top $135M.)
The department wrote that the need for additional generation has continued to grow in PJM, pointing to the RTO’s Reliability Resource Initiative, which is expediting the interconnection studies for 51 projects. (See PJM Selects 51 Projects for Expedited Interconnection Studies.)
The order states Eddystone is needed for both near- and long-term emergency conditions, the latter of which would be hard to address if the units were allowed to deactivate.
“Practical issues, such as employment, contracts and permits, may greatly increase the timeline for resumption of operations during the period they are needed,” DOE wrote. “If Constellation Energy were to begin disassembling the units or other related facilities, the associated challenges would be greatly exacerbated. Thus, continued operation is required in such cases so long as the secretary determines that an emergency exists.”
