PJM spent months warning of a looming reliability crisis. Then extreme heat arrived, electricity demand climbed near record levels and the grid performed.

An analysis by the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) found PJM maintained roughly 6,500 megawatts of operating reserves above required levels during the hottest hours of July 2. Even at the tightest point of the day, reserves remained 55% above the requirement.

That raises an uncomfortable question. Why are customers paying scarcity prices while viable generation remains trapped in PJM’s interconnection backlog and speculative demand forecasts are treated as guaranteed load?

“PJM cannot restrict supply, inflate demand with speculative forecasts and then charge customers for the scarcity it helped create,” said OMA Managing Director of Energy and Advocacy Services Lindsey Short.

OMA is calling on federal regulators and Congress to investigate whether PJM’s market rules, forecasting practices and administrative failures are driving unjustified costs for manufacturers, families and other customers.

The grid passed the test. PJM’s crisis narrative did not. 7/8/2026