U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on Feb. 23 issued an emergency order directing the PJM Interconnection, in coordination with Constellation Energy Corporation, to ensure Units 3 and 4 of the Eddystone Generating Station in Pennsylvania remain available for operation “and to employ economic dispatch to minimize costs for the American people,” the Department of Energy said.
The units were originally slated to shut down on May 31, 2025.
“The Eddystone Units were integral in stabilizing the grid during Winter Storm Fern. Between January 26-29, the units ran for over 124 hours cumulatively, providing critical generation in the midst of the energy emergency,” DOE said.
Secretary Wright ordered that the two Eddystone Generating Station units remain online past their planned retirement date in a May 30, 2025 emergency order.
Subsequent orders were issued on August 28, 2025 and November 26, 2025.
"Keeping these units operational over the past year strengthened energy security in the PJM region, as demonstrated when PJM called on the units to generate electricity during heat waves that hit the region in the summer and during Winter Storm Fern. The emergency conditions that led to the issuance of the original orders persist," DOE said.
The Feb. 23 order is in effect beginning on February 24, 2026, through May 24, 2026.
Eddystone Generating Station is owned and operated by Constellation. It is a six-unit, 820-megawatt power plant, located on the Delaware River in Eddystone, Pennsylvania, just south of Philadelphia.
Eddystone Units 3 and 4, each with 380 MW capacity, are subcritical steam boiler-turbine generator units that can run on either natural gas or oil, depending on market conditions. These units were installed between 1967 and 1970.
Units 10 and 20 and 30 and 40, with a total combined capacity of 60 MW, are pairs of oil fueled peaking units that run during periods of high demand. These units were installed in 1967 and 1970, respectively.
