To prevent blackouts, Trump administration keeps another aging power plant online through summer

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Source: AP

Updated 6:57 PM EDT, June 2, 2025


HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Energy has ordered another power plant, this time an oil and gas plant in Pennsylvania, to keep its turbines running through the hottest summer months as a precaution against electricity shortfalls in the 13-state mid-Atlantic grid.

The department’s order to the grid operator, PJM Interconnection, regarding the Eddystone power plant just south of Philadelphia on the Delaware River, is the department’s second use of federal power under President Donald Trump to require a power plant to keep operating on the mainland United States.

Constellation Energy had planned to shut down Eddystone’s units 3 and 4 on Saturday, but Trump’s Department of Energy ordered the company to continue operating the units until at least Aug. 28. The units can produce a combined 760 megawatts. The department, in its order, cited PJM’s growing concerns about power shortfalls amid the shutdown of aging power plants and rising electricity demand.

PJM has projected significant growth in electricity use to power America’s fast-rising demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing platforms. Demand for electricity has spiked for the first time in decades. In addition to artificial intelligence, crypto mining, the broader electrification of society and bipartisan political pressure to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. are fueling new electricity demand.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-pennsylvania-eddystone-power-plant-e5eb5295a6b8de72636a9478e06fec4b