Skip to content
Grid & Energy
United States

PJM expects record winter power demand as reserve margins tighten across Maryland, Virginia and 11 other states

By Eve

PJM, the grid operator serving Maryland, Virginia, 11 other states and Washington, D.C., projects a winter peak demand of roughly 147,500 megawatts against an operating supply of 182,426 megawatts, according to PJM's Inside Lines as reported by The Cool Down. That would beat the winter record of 143,700 megawatts set on 22 January 2025, and PJM has also studied a tougher scenario with demand of 152,200 megawatts and less generation available. The BGE, Pepco and Dominion zones face limits on deliveries from elsewhere on the grid, and PJM still expects supply to cover demand under anticipated conditions.

Why it matters

Charging projects in the BGE, Pepco and Dominion zones sit in areas where transmission constraints and tight winter margins could affect grid capacity, connection timing and demand management expectations. Procurement and CPO teams may want to factor in resilience, load flexibility and on-site storage when planning sites in the region.

Source

Original title
“Grid serving Maryland and Virginia expects record winter demand as power reserves tighten”
Published
9 November 2026
Updated
10 November 2026

Related news

Suniva begins expansion to lift US solar cell capacity to 5.5 GW

Suniva has started an expansion intended to take its US solar cell capacity to 5.5 GW, according to a SUNE stock news update. The report states that long-term customer purchase agreements cover the majority of Suniva's planned production through 2030. The excerpt supplied contains no further figures on investment, timing or customers.

Why it matters

Domestic solar cell supply at this scale, largely contracted to 2030, may tighten availability for developers pairing solar with charging sites, so CPOs planning on-site generation should check how much uncontracted volume remains. It also signals continued US supply chain investment that could affect sourcing and local-content considerations.

United States
10 Nov 2026

Suniva (us) · Source

Elements Green signs TenneT grid connection agreement for 400MW, 1,600MWh Stadorf battery project in Lower Saxony

Elements Green Deutschland GmbH has signed a grid connection agreement with transmission system operator TenneT for its Stadorf battery energy storage project in Lower Saxony. The project has a planned output of 400MW, a storage capacity of 1,600MWh and a four hour duration, and will connect directly to the extra high voltage grid. The agreement follows a connection construction agreement signed earlier this year, and together the two set the contractual framework for building and operating the grid connection.

Why it matters

Securing both grid connection contracts with a transmission operator is a key de-risking step for a utility scale storage project, and it shows how large German BESS schemes are progressing towards delivery. For CPOs and developers, it is a useful indicator of how grid access and storage capacity may shape the wider power system that charging networks depend on.

Germany
10 Nov 2026

Elements Green (global) · TenneT (de) · Source

Impossible Metals robot recovers 450 grams of seabed nodules at more than 4,000 metres, with no independent data yet

Impossible Metals said its autonomous Eureka robot recovered about 450 grams of polymetallic nodules from the Clarion Clipperton Zone at more than 4,000 metres during a September expedition, as reported by Reuters. The dive was marine scientific research, not production, and the company's release does not describe independent monitoring, so claims of no environmental disturbance come from an investor. The announcement comes 10 days before the first US seabed mineral lease sale, which the company's April 2025 request helped set in motion.

Why it matters

This is a proof of mechanism at research scale, not evidence of commercial supply or environmental outcome, so it should not yet change assumptions about battery metal sourcing. Procurement and CPO teams should treat seabed minerals as a long dated and contested supply question, and watch the lease sale and any independent monitoring data.

Global
10 Nov 2026

Impossible Metals (global) · Source