July 11, 2026 | Source: PJM Interconnection — Inside Lines / Operating Committee Hot Weather Update (July 9–10, 2026)
PJM Confirms All-Time Peak Load: 168,158 MW Through Record July Heat
PJM published its official recap yesterday, July 10, confirming what its Operating Committee heard on July 9: the RTO served an estimated all-time peak load of 168,158 MW between 5–6 p.m. on July 2.
That breaks the previous record of 165,563 MW — a mark that had stood since August 2, 2006. The footprint hit its hottest-ever RTO-average air temperature of 97 degrees the same day, with parts of the Mid-Atlantic in the low 100s.
It wasn't clean. Forced generation outages ran 18,100–19,400 MW from July 2–4 — well above the ~12,800 MW average for top summer peak days. PJM executed emergency procedures, called roughly 6,113 MW of emergency demand response on July 2, and operated under two DOE Section 202(c) emergency orders: one granting environmental permit relief (about 3.25 GW of generation ran beyond permit limits) and one authorizing curtailment of data centers and other large loads with backup generation as a last resort. An Emergency Use of Backup Generator Warning was issued for the BGE, PEPCO and Dominion zones — the follow-on Action was never needed.
What This Means for Operators and Planners
The margin story is the real headline. The record peak came within about 1,000 MW of PJM's 90/10 forecast of 169,128 MW — the 1-in-10 planning scenario. PJM's own dispatch leadership said every available generator was used, and that the capacity position "continues to be an area of concern."
For control room teams, this event is a case study in what tight-margin summers now look like: emergency procedures triggered at peak, demand response performing as designed, and 202(c) authority used proactively rather than as a footnote. If your EOPs and hot-weather checklists haven't been walked through against a scenario like this, July 2 is the tabletop exercise.
For planners and compliance teams, note the second 202(c) order — federal authority to curtail large loads with backup generation. Large-load flexibility is moving from stakeholder debate to operational reality, and FERC's pending show cause orders to all six RTOs will accelerate that. Document your load-shed and large-load coordination procedures now, before the next heat wave tests them.
EPG Solutions Can Help
Events like July 2 are won or lost on situational awareness and preparation — knowing where your margins actually are before the dispatcher's phone rings. EPG Solutions works with utilities and control room teams on real-time situational awareness and operator readiness so record-peak days are managed events, not close calls. Visit EPG Solutions → epgsolutions.services