President Donald J. Trump has signed an executive order aimed at strengthening the United States electric grid. The order, titled “Strengthening the Reliability and Security of the United States Electric Grid,” comes amid a national energy emergency and rising electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence data centers and increased domestic manufacturing.
The order declares the reliability of the electric grid a matter of national and economic security, citing the risk posed by capacity shortfalls. It outlines a federal policy to ensure resilient power generation by leveraging all available energy resources, particularly those with redundant and secure fuel supplies capable of extended operation.
Invoking emergency authority under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the order directs the Department of Energy to streamline and accelerate approvals for power generators to operate at full capacity during times of forecasted electricity shortfalls. The goal is to prevent system-wide grid failure.
Within 30 days, the Secretary of Energy must develop a uniform methodology to analyze current and projected reserve margins—critical safety buffers in electricity supply—for regions regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. This methodology will be informed by historical grid performance and will be publicly available within 90 days.
Additionally, the Department is tasked with identifying generation resources critical to system reliability and taking legal steps to ensure those resources remain operational. This includes preventing certain power plants — specifically those over 50 megawatts — from shutting down or switching fuel types if such changes would lower available capacity.
The executive order emphasizes swift federal action to safeguard the power grid during a declared national emergency, a move President Trump deems essential to maintaining America’s technological leadership and energy independence.
