The action was taken due to a possibility of homes and businesses in affected regions losing power, which would pose a public safety risk.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued an order to tackle an energy emergency situation across 17 U.S. states triggered by hot weather conditions.
The July 26 emergency order was issued by Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to Southwest Power Pool Inc. (SPP), the regional grid operator for the 17 states.
According to the order, SPP is expecting hot weather conditions through Aug. 3. The operator requested the department to allow specific power generation units to run beyond their operating limits in order to ensure grid reliability. It also sought authority to unlock and deploy backup generation resources at data centers and other industrial and commercial customer sites to counter any risk to the bulk power system.
Wright determined that statutory emergency situations exist in certain regions, serviced by the SPP, owing to sudden increases in demand, “a shortage of electric energy, a shortage of facilities for the generation and transmission of electric energy, and other causes,” the order said. Homes and local businesses in the affected areas could lose power, presenting a risk to public safety and health.
The energy secretary allowed SPP to dispatch power-generating units “as needed to maintain reliability,” according to the order. In addition, SPP is authorized to use backup resources to operate as a last resort before issuing an Energy Emergency Alert 3—the highest level of energy emergency action.
The emergency order applies from July 26 to Aug. 3.
In a July 26 statement, DOE said the order would stabilize the power grid and mitigate blackout risks, highlighting that outages cost American people around $44 billion annually.
“The Trump Administration is tapping into an abundant supply of unused backup generation to maintain affordable, reliable, and secure power for hardworking American families and businesses,” Wright said in the statement.
The department estimated the total nationwide unused power generation to be at over 35 gigawatts.
The emergency order comes as the National Weather Service (NWS) predicted in a July 28 post on X that “dangerous and extreme” heat would remain across portions of the central United States this week.
In a July 28 forecast, the Weather Prediction Center said the southern United States is expected to see above-normal temperatures for the next few days, with afternoon highs reaching upper 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
High heat combined with high humidity can result in widespread “Major to Extreme HeatRisk levels,” with people lacking adequate cooling or hydration at risk of heat-related illnesses, according to the center. By the end of this week, the “dangerous heat” is forecast to expand into the Southwest and Intermountain West, the center said.
