Pennsylvania, PJM’s workhorse, carries the energy load in the East By EPN Staff Pennsylvania continues to export more of its electricity than any other state in the nation, while Virginia now imports more energy than any other, federal data show. The dynamic highlights the flow of electricity across the grid in PJM, the regional transmission organization coordinating wholesale electricity across much of the Mid-Atlantic. The only other states within PJM’s 13-state territory to generate more electricity than they consume: Illinois, West Virginia and Michigan. Why it matters Pennsylvania is PJM’s energy workhorse, generating and shipping more than 83 million megawatt hours (MWh) in 2023. That equates to the commonwealth exporting about a quarter of its electricity generation. The transfer of electricity across the regional grid illustrates the interplay of state policies and consumer demand for energy. As states enact energy regulation, those regulations can impact a state’s energy generation portfolio. In PJM territory, where several states have pursued greater development of renewable energy sources, participated in regional cap-and-trade programs, shifted from coal and restricted natural gas, those states’ residents and businesses have continued to demand energy. Deeper context Virginia, which for years trailed only California for energy imports, has increasingly relied on other states’ power supplies to keep the lights on. This has occurred against the backdrop of policy decisions that are forcing the closure of baseload generation facilities and promoting intermittent resources. Pennsylvania, which is second in U.S. energy production only to Texas and ranks in the nation’s top five for production of natural gas, coal and electricity, stands to benefit. Its electricity generation mix is dominated by natural gas and nuclear power, followed by coal. The dynamic also highlights electricity cost differentials: Virginia has long held electricity rates low, but it is importing more expensive electricity from other states. Mark Christie, the newly appointed chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is attuned to the issue. “As a Virginia consumer,” Christie posted on X, “I am concerned.” The bigger picture During the severe cold across the East in January, Christie noted, PJM’s load peaked at a new winter record of 145.030 GWh (gigawatt hours). The electricity generation mix that met public demand was: Natural gas at 43.7% Nuclear at 22.2% Coal at 21.6% Oil at 4.4% Hydro at 3.6% Wind at 2.4% Solar at 0.4% “Dispatchable generation kept the lights on and heat pumps running during this freezing weather, Christie said. “We need to stop the premature retirements of dispatchable generation and build more, otherwise we freeze in the dark. That is reality.”
