WASHINGTON-The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today issued an emergency order for the deployment of backup generation resources in order to mitigate blackouts in Texas during Winter Storm Fern. Issued pursuant to Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the order authorizes the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to deploy backup generation resources at data centers and other major facilities. Today’s action follows a letter Secretary Wright sent Thursday to grid operators asking them to be prepared to use backup generation if needed to mitigate the risk of blackouts during the storm. DOE estimates more than 35 GW of unused backup generation remains available nationwide. The order will help ERCOT with the extreme temperatures and storm destruction across Texas and reduce costs for Americans during the winter storm.
“The Trump administration is committed to unleashing all available power generation needed to keep Americans safe during Winter Storm Fern,” said Energy Secretary Wright. “Unfortunately, the last administration had the nation on track to lose significant amounts of baseload power, but we are doing everything in our power to reverse those reckless decisions. The Trump administration will continue taking action to ensure that the 35 GW of untapped backup generation that exists across the country can be deployed as needed during Winter Storm Fern and in the future.”
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. This order will help mitigate power outages in Texas and highlights the commonsense policies of the Trump Administration to ensure Americans have access to affordable, reliable and secure electricity.
The order is in effect from January 24-January 27, 2026.
BACKGROUND
In its 2025-2026 Winter Reliability Assessment, NERC finds that the ERCOT assessment area is at elevated risk. According to NERC, above-normal winter peak and outage conditions could result in the need for operating mitigations and Energy Emergency Alerts (EEAs).