Key facts
- The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) warned of potential rolling blackouts due to record electricity demand and unexpected power plant outages.
- SPP issued a Level 3 energy alert, indicating the use of operating reserves.
- The alert was issued for SPP's western territory on Monday evening and later downgraded.
- PJM Interconnection, another major U.S. grid operator, escalated emergency measures on July 3, 2026, due to similar conditions.
- PJM activated demand-response programs and received emergency orders to cut consumption and maintain reliability.
The Southwest Power Pool (SPP), which manages the electric grid for 14 central U.S. states from North Dakota to Louisiana, issued a Level 3 energy alert on Monday evening, warning of potential rolling blackouts. The grid operator cited record demand driven by a heat wave and several unexpected power plant outages that left reserve margins critically thin.
SPP stated it had used some or all of its operating reserves to meet demand and had not yet ordered controlled blackouts, which are a measure to prevent wider grid failure. The alert was issued around 6 p.m. EDT for its western territory and was later downgraded.
Separately, PJM Interconnection, the largest U.S. regional transmission organization serving 13 states and Washington D.C., escalated emergency measures on July 3, 2026. PJM issued a federal alert to cut electricity consumption due to generator outages, overloaded transmission lines, and surging demand from a prolonged heatwave. Wholesale electricity prices in constrained areas like northern Virginia spiked significantly, and PJM activated demand-response programs to reduce power to large customers. The U.S. Department of Energy issued emergency orders to allow temporary curtailment of large loads and waivers of environmental restrictions on fossil-fuel plants to maintain reliability.