PJM Issues Precautionary Alerts as Arctic Cold Weekend Looms

PJM, which runs the grid for 13 states and DC, issued Cold Weather Alerts and Advisories ahead of a weekend Arctic cold front that could push temperatures into single digits (and possibly below zero in its Western Region). The surge could drive peak demand above 130,000 MW for seven straight days, with a potential new winter peak on Jan. 27. PJM also declared Conservative Operations for Jan. 24–27 and ordered a generator maintenance outage recall to boost available capacity. Forecasts for Jan. 23–30 show rising loads (roughly 125,900 MW to 146,000 MW), and PJM outlines winter-preparedness steps under its Manual 14D guidelines, citing cross-region impacts and ongoing winter operations planning.