Story perspectives

Winter Demand Soars, PJM Warns of Potential Blackouts

1/29/2026

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Summary

Story summary

PJM Interconnection, the grid operator, says congestion is rising due to record winter demand and could cause rolling blackouts.
PJM forecasts demand will reach 148 gigawatts on Friday, surpassing the winter record.
Prices have surged past $1,000 per megawatt-hour in affected areas.
Natural gas constraints and outages have worsened the situation, with nearly 21 gigawatts offline.
Winter storms have left nearly 1 million customers without power across several states.

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Story summary

PJM Interconnection, the grid operator, says congestion is rising due to record winter demand and could cause rolling blackouts.
PJM forecasts demand will reach 148 gigawatts on Friday, surpassing the winter record.
Prices have surged past $1,000 per megawatt-hour in affected areas.
Natural gas constraints and outages have worsened the situation, with nearly 21 gigawatts offline.
Winter storms have left nearly 1 million customers without power across several states.