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Secretary flags heat-wave stress on PJM grid and urges permitting reform; points to Constitution pipeline
Summary
Christopher Wright warned of high demand on the PJM grid during a heat wave, said temporary permit relaxations and backup generators may be needed, and identified the Constitution pipeline as a priority project if Congress enacts permitting reform.
Energy Secretary Christopher Wright warned during a July 2 interview that an ongoing heat wave could put peak demand pressure on the PJM regional grid and that the period would be a test of system capacity. "That peak demand will be this afternoon or this evening," he said, adding that regulators and utilities would need to manage high summer loads and that temporary permit relaxations for backup generation have been allowed in some cases.
Asked what permitting reform the administration would prioritize, Wright named the Constitution pipeline, saying it would carry Pennsylvania gas through New York and lower prices in six New England states while expanding jobs in the region. He said Congress could help by codifying permitting reforms tied to the president's executive orders.
Wright characterized the reliability risk as "closer than I would like" but expressed confidence that the system would "skate through" the immediate heat-wave period. The interview did not include technical modeling, regulatory filings, or details on legislative text for the permitting changes he described.
