The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today (Jan 22) it is prepared to take emergency action to prevent blackouts during winter storm Fern. In a letter today, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright asked the nation's grid operators to maintain communication with DOE during the storm and be prepared to make backup generation resources at data centers and other major facilities available as needed. DOE estimates more than 35 GW of unused backup generation remains available nationwide. These actions could mitigate blackouts and reduce costs for potentially hundreds of millions of Americans during the winter storm. 

"The Trump administration will not stand by and allow the previous administration's reckless energy subtraction policies and bureaucratic red tape put American lives at risk," said Secretary Wright. "We have identified more than 35 GW of unused backup generation that exists across the country and are taking action to ensure that if the nation needs it, the generation will be made available. Rest assured, President Trump and the Energy Department remain committed to doing everything in our power to mitigate blackouts and lower energy costs for the American people."

On day one, President Trump declared a national energy emergency after the Biden administration's energy subtraction agenda left behind a grid increasingly vulnerable to blackouts. According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), "Winter electricity demand is rising at the fastest rate in recent years," while the premature forced closure of reliable generation such as coal and natural gas plants leaves American families vulnerable to power outages. The NERC 2025 - 2026 Winter Reliability Assessment further warns that areas across the continental United States have an elevated risk of blackouts during extreme weather conditions. 

Power outages cost the American people $44 billion per year, according to data from DOE's National Laboratories. The Secretary's draft order will help mitigate power outages in the winter months and highlights the commonsense policies of the Trump Administration to ensure an affordable and reliable energy system. 

Read the full letter here. 

BACKGROUND:

Developed under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the draft order would apply to data centers and major industrial or commercial facilities including auxiliary, standby, directly connected, and battery storage systems regardless of whether they are synchronized to the bulk system. The draft order would require these resources to be made available only after demand response is exhausted and as a last resort prior to a Reliability Coordinator declaring an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) Level 3.