PJM Interconnection releases summer grid operations report
PJM Interconnection recently released its Summer Operations of the PJM Grid: June 1, 2019 – Sept. 15, 2019 report, which shows that the electric grid operated by PJM Interconnection operated reliably throughout the summer.
The grid operated by PJM Interconnection serves 65 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C.
PJM notes that the weather this past summer was generally mild, except for a heatwave in July. During the heatwave, on July 19, Demand peaked at over 152,000 MW. PJM’s all-time, one-day record for power use was 165,563 MW in the summer of 2006.
“The system would not have handled these high demands as smoothly a decade ago,” Kevin Hatch, supervisor, system operations – Dispatch, said. “We are seeing generators that are increasingly responsive to our operational requests, a transmission system that is more robust, and the benefits of efficient and reliable resources through the capacity market.”
PJM called Hot Weather Alerts during five different periods throughout the summer, the lowest number of emergency procedures in the last five years.
The average forced outage rate of all generator units in the PJM region was less than three percent, a decrease from nearly five percent last summer and the lowest rate in five years.
“More efficient generators mean fewer outages, greater reliability and a more efficient system overall,” Michael E. Bryson, senior vice president – Operations, said.
PJM’s fuel mix this summer was approximately 37 percent natural gas, 30 percent nuclear, 25 percent coal, and 7 percent renewables.
The average daily locational marginal price for electricity was approximately $25 per megawatt-hour (MWh) and price during the daily peak was $46/MWh.
