PJM lifts conserve energy request in Pa., NJ, Del.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – PJM Interconnection says their call for conservation ended Sunday morning. The power grid operator that oversees 13 states - including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware - asked residents to conserve electricity as brutally cold temperatures reduced energy output or shut down some power plants.
The announcement came after a winter storm knocked out power for a few thousand residents in the region. While power had been restored to most in our region Saturday, as of 9 a.m. Saturday, there were still almost 6,000 FirstEnergy customers without power in Berks County and over 1,200 in Northampton County. In comparison, Sunday, those numbers are below 400.
"This is extremely rare in our region," PJM Interconnection's chief communications officer Susan Buehler said. "The last time we had a situation like this was the polar vortex in January of 2014."
But, for a Philadelphia resident, this was a familiar situation. Riley Stover, of Center City, moved to Philly from Texas where she went through a statewide power outage in 2021.
"I definitely don't want to go through that experience again," Stover said, "so I will definitely now keep an eye out on what they're saying and stuff."
PECO reports 181 outages affecting 968 in the Philadelphia region on Christmas Day around noon.
