WASHINGTON, D.C. — The federal government is taking emergency action to keep the lights on in the Mid-Atlantic, and New Jersey’s post-Christie energy record offers some important context.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued an emergency order authorizing PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator serving New Jersey and neighboring states, to deploy additional generation resources to reduce blackout risks.
The order, effective October 13th through October 16th, comes amid elevated electricity demand, scheduled generator maintenance, transmission outages, and a stretch of warm weather.
“This order will help ensure millions of American families and businesses across the mid-Atlantic have access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity,” Wright explained.
The federal intervention comes after years of significant power plant retirements in New Jersey, many without equivalent replacement generation.
Since Chris Christie left office in January 2018, New Jersey has lost approximately 1,800 megawatts of generating capacity from several major facilities alone, including:
- Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station (2018): Approximately 600 MW.
- B.L. England Generating Station (2019): Approximately 450 MW.
- Logan Generating Plant (2022): Approximately 225 MW.
- Chambers Generating Plant (2022): Approximately 285 MW.
- Essex Generating Station and Newark Bay Cogen (2022): Approximately 217 MW combined.
Some closures, notably Oyster Creek and B.L. England, originated in agreements reached during the Christie administration. Nevertheless, the Murphy administration failed to replace the retired capacity on a megawatt-for-megawatt basis. By 2025, New Jersey had experienced a net loss of approximately 1,500 MW of in-state grid generation during Murphy’s tenure.
Meanwhile, Trenton pursued an expensive offshore wind agenda involving billions of dollars in public infrastructure commitments, subsidies, and private-sector investment, with little generating capacity to show for it.
Danish wind developer Ørsted abandoned its Ocean Wind projects after recording billions in losses, while New Jersey committed hundreds of millions to specialized wind infrastructure, including the New Jersey Wind Port. Ratepayers have also faced costs associated with abandoned offshore wind transmission projects.
Governor Mikie Sherrill inherited that situation and has continued supporting renewable energy development even as electric bills remain a major affordability concern.
“Past leaders’ energy subtraction policies have made the grid more vulnerable to the risk of blackouts when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow,” Wright said.
The Garden State’s experience raises an obvious long-term question: What happens when you retire reliable power plants faster than you replace their output?
