PJM Sets an All-Time Peak of About 168 GW in Record Heat, Using Every Available Generator
PJM Interconnection, the grid operator for 13 states and the District of Columbia, set a preliminary all-time peak load of about 168,158 megawatts between 5 and 6 p.m. on July 2, 2026, according to a PJM update published on July 10. The previous record, 165,563 MW, was set on August 2, 2006. The new figure includes an estimate of demand that was suppressed by demand response programs, reflecting the load the system would have had to serve without those curtailments.
The PJM region recorded its hottest-ever average air temperature across its footprint, 97 degrees, on July 2, with many areas in the Mid-Atlantic in the low 100s. "This was the highest peak we have ever served, through an unprecedented heat wave," Paul Dajewski, PJM's senior manager of dispatch, told the Operating Committee on July 9. Forced generation outages ranged between 18,100 MW and 19,400 MW from July 2 to 4, well above the 12,800 MW average outage level on the top 10 summer peak days of the previous three years.
The record load approached PJM's 90/10 seasonal forecast of 169,128 MW, a level with a 1-in-10 chance of occurring that is built into summer planning. PJM called on emergency demand response, under which customers are paid in advance to reduce use during emergencies. PJM requested and received an emergency order from the US Department of Energy under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, providing temporary relief from environmental permit limits for generating units. A second 202(c) order authorized PJM to direct transmission owners, as a last resort to avoid outages for residential and other customers, to curtail data centers and other large loads equipped with backup generation.
The Dominion zone in northern Virginia hosts the world's largest concentration of data centers. PJM has been developing rules for integrating large loads, including proposals that would require new large loads to bring their own generation or accept curtailment during emergencies.