News Summary
The U.S. Department of Energy has mandated that the Eddystone Generating Station near Philadelphia continues operations this summer. This decision, driven by anticipated electricity shortages in the mid-Atlantic region amidst rising demand and planned retirements of older plants, allows for further assessment of the plant’s viability. Constellation Energy, which operates the facility, has welcomed the order, while environmental advocates raise concerns over potential health impacts and increased costs for consumers.
Pennsylvania – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has ordered the Eddystone Generating Station, located south of Philadelphia on the Delaware River, to remain operational through the summer due to concerns over potential electricity shortages in the mid-Atlantic grid. This decision comes amid rising electricity demand and the planned retirements of older power plants across the region.
The DOE’s order, issued on May 31, 2025, marks its second exercise of federal authority under President Trump to mandate the continued operation of a power plant within the United States. The federal agency has required Constellation Energy to keep Eddystone’s units 3 and 4 running until at least August 28, 2025, even though the company had initially planned to retire these units.
The Eddystone plant’s two operational units are capable of generating a combined total of 760 megawatts of electricity. The order was prompted by warnings from PJM Interconnection, the organization responsible for managing the electric grid in 13 states and Washington D.C., which highlighted potential power shortfalls resulting from the shutdown of older facilities and an increase in electricity demand driven by various factors such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cryptocurrency mining.
Despite having received prior approval from PJM to retire the units, Constellation welcomed the DOE’s order, labeling it a prudent decision that allows for further assessment of the plant’s long-term viability. The DOE’s decision also follows a similar directive issued on May 23, 2025, which required Consumers Energy to keep the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in Michigan operational beyond its planned retirement.
The Eddystone Generating Station has been in operation since 1960, with the capability to burn natural gas or oil, thus designed for periods of high power demand. Environmental advocates have criticized the DOE’s decision, calling it an “environmental injustice,” arguing that closing the plant would reduce hazardous emissions and facilitate compliance with federal clean air standards.
The DOE’s invocation of emergency powers—typically reserved for situations such as wartime or extreme weather events—reflects the urgency of addressing electricity supply concerns exacerbated by the accelerated retirement of coal and nuclear facilities. A recent report from PJM cautioned that while normal conditions would typically provide sufficient power, severe conditions could necessitate the activation of demand response resources to prevent outages.
Amid these developments, the DOE emphasized the necessity of keeping the Eddystone units operational to ensure system reliability against a backdrop of tight supply and demand dynamics in the region. Following this directive, Constellation announced their commitment to maintain operations and staffing levels at the Eddystone site while exploring possibilities for extending operations until the Three Mile Island nuclear plant can restart, projected for 2027 rather than 2028.
Despite the DOE’s emphasis on the importance of Eddystone’s continued operation, environmental advocates worry that this decision will lead to increased costs for consumers and potentially negative public health impacts. The order also introduces further complexity surrounding Constellation’s proposed acquisition of Calpine, which is under review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); the ongoing operations of Eddystone may influence market evaluations in this regard.
In response to the urgent energy landscape, Constellation has committed to taking immediate actions necessary to ensure that the Eddystone units are prepared for operation throughout the summer season. The DOE plans to develop a methodology to assess reserve margins across different regions as mandated by an executive order and will evaluate the operational status of Eddystone’s units based on these assessments.
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