The Department of Energy issued an emergency order Tuesday directing PJM Interconnection to make additional electricity generation available as needed amid unusually warm fall weather and elevated power demand across 13 states and Washington, D.C.

The order, issued by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, covers Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. It remains in effect through Friday.

Wright said the directive would help ensure that American households and businesses have access to affordable and reliable electricity by allowing additional generation sources, including backup power, to be used when necessary.

Officials said customers were not expected to experience blackouts or brownouts and would not need to take any action.

PJM Interconnection, which coordinates electricity transmission across the region, had already issued an alert allowing power generators and transmission operators to postpone or cancel equipment maintenance and testing to help preserve available capacity.

PJM forecast electricity demand of 112,447 megawatts Tuesday and 113,312 megawatts Wednesday. The grid operator extended its Maximum Generation Alert and Load Management Alert through Wednesday while maintaining a Capacity Advisory for both days.

A PJM spokesperson said rising electricity demand has increasingly outpaced the addition of new generating capacity, while unpredictable weather has reduced opportunities for essential maintenance and construction. The challenges have affected grid operators during both September and October.

As of Tuesday afternoon, PJM reported that it had not needed to activate backup generators serving large electricity customers.

The emergency order underscores the strain that rising power consumption and limited generation capacity can place on the grid, particularly when weather conditions increase demand and complicate maintenance schedules.