PJM electricity exports aid neighboring grids during winter storm chaos

摘要

PJM Interconnection electricity exports hit record highs on Feb. 15 and 16, with at least 10 hours of more than 13 GW exported and exports exceeding 15.7 GW at one point on the 15th, the grid operator said. Regional power grids neighboring PJM to the west became strained earlier in the week when a massive winter storm brought rare and unusually low temperatures to the middle of the country, extending down into Texas where the worst impacts materialized. Multiple grids had to shed load by instituting rolling blackouts. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator to PJM’s West early Feb. 18 said that a round of wintry weather over the previous night across its South Region caused some additional power outages. It said that it was “supporting member restoration efforts,” but, as a precaution, extended a Maximum Generation Emergency Alert for the region until Saturday, Feb. 20 at 4 pm ET.