Summer Outlook 2026: PJM Prepared To Meet Growing Summer Demand With Adequate Resources

PJM May Implement Load Management Measures During Peak Demand, Similar to Last Summer

VALLEY FORGE, Pa., May 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- PJM forecasts sufficient generation for typical peak demand this summer and is prepared to call on contracted demand response resources to reduce electricity use during times of high system stress.

The National Weather Service forecasts hotter-than-normal conditions this summer in the PJM region's mid-Atlantic and southern states, as well as West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Typical temperatures are forecast for most of the Midwest.

PJM expects energy demand, or load, to peak at approximately 156,400 MW this summer. PJM has approximately 180,200 MW of generation capacity to serve demand, as well as approximately 7,800 MW of contracted demand response. Demand response programs pay customers who have opted in to reduce their electricity use in times of system emergencies.

PJM should have adequate reserves to maintain reliability under expected conditions and will call on demand response and implement emergency procedures as necessary under less likely, more stressed conditions, including extreme heat or poor generation performance resulting from equipment outages, low solar/wind production, or other more extreme weather effects.

PJM called on Non-Emergency Demand Response six times last summer. During an early season heat wave last year, PJM's summer peak reached peaks of approximately 161,300 MW on June 23 and 160,900 MW on June 24. Those were the third- and fifth-highest summer peaks in PJM's history. Demand response helped to control peak electricity use on those days to maintain reliability.

PJM's all-time record summer peak load was recorded in 2006 at 165,563 MW. PJM's planning for this summer includes unlikely but plausible scenarios of up to 169,100 MW of demand.

PJM will have fewer resources to export electricity to neighboring systems during emergencies as a result of tightening reserve margins. PJM has traditionally been a net exporter during extreme weather emergencies, and PJM has also relied upon its neighbors for support on multiple occasions in the past.

"While we expect to operate reliably this summer, the outlook resembles last year's and reflects a new reality – continued load growth driven by data centers that is outpacing the addition of new generation," said Michael Bryson, Sr. Vice President – Operations. "This results in tightening operating reserve margins and greater risk."

A dedicated team of operators uses sophisticated technology to balance supply and demand and direct the power grid 24/7 from PJM's control rooms. They prepare multiple potential scenarios that could be impacted by weather, emergency conditions or equipment failure. They adjust resource output with changes in demand and ensure that no transmission lines or facilities are overloaded. The team also watches for unusual conditions and reacts to them to protect the electricity supply.

PJM and its stakeholders have taken a number of proactive measures to bring new resources online and maximize the availability of existing resources in the short and long term. Other initiatives underway are in step with a coalition of all 13 PJM state governors, the White House National Energy Dominance Council and the U.S. Department of Energy, as detailed by a series of actions outlined by the PJM Board in January (PDF).

PJM Interconnection, founded in 1927, ensures the reliability of the high-voltage electric power system serving 67 million people in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. PJM coordinates and directs the operation of the region's transmission grid, which includes 88,417 miles of transmission lines; administers a competitive wholesale electricity market; and plans regional transmission expansion improvements to maintain grid reliability and relieve congestion. PJM's regional grid and market operations produce annual savings of $5 billion. For the latest news about PJM, visit PJM Inside Lines at insidelines.pjm.com.

SOURCE PJM Interconnection