Canonical event

US DOE issues four-day PJM emergency authorization for conditional backup generation

On October 12, 2026 the US Department of Energy issued Section 202(c) Emergency Order 202-26-50 following PJM's October 11 application. Effective October 13 through October 16, the order directs specified emergency resource dispatch and conditionally authorizes certain large-load backup generators as a last resort before or during Energy Emergency Alert 3 under anticipated stress. This authorizes an emergency response but does not demonstrate that backup generators ran, that a blackout happened, that AI data centers caused the stress, or that the authorization is unprecedented.