Columbus, OH—The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has released its 2025 Summer Reliability Assessment, offering a positive outlook for electricity supply in the coming months. According to the report, PJM Interconnection—the grid operator serving 13 states, including Ohio—is at a low risk of resources falling below required operating reserves, even on the hottest days of summer.
Twice a year, in May and November, NERC evaluates the nation's electricity grid to ensure consumers have reliable power, particularly during extreme weather conditions.
Ohio narrowly avoided blackouts during a brutal cold snap in December 2022, while states farther south faced outages due to soaring electricity demand outpacing available supply. The following winter, NERC flagged PJM as at risk of insufficient reserves during extreme cold, a concern attributed to the retirement of baseload coal plants. In the last decade, Ohio has seen more than a dozen coal plants close due to stricter environmental regulations—a trend echoed in other states.
Summer, however, presents fewer reliability concerns. Natural gas-fired power plants are more readily available for electricity generation, unlike winter when demand for heating is high. Plus, natural gas lines can freeze during extreme cold causing supply to be even lower.
NERC’s latest assessment affirms that "resources will be sufficient" to meet electricity demand, even during peak hours on the hottest days.
