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The major storm that hit the eastern U.S. this past week has put pressure on the power grid, with customers in some states experiencing power outages. With more cold and snow expected later this week and into the weekend, the strain will likely continue (Bloomberg).

What’s going on: The storm dumped loads of snow far into the southeast and left more than 1 million homes and businesses without electricity (more than 500,000 were still without power on Tuesday). It also disrupted 12% of U.S. gas production.

• “PJM Interconnection LLC, which serves 67 million people from New Jersey to Chicago, issued a grid emergency for Tuesday and warned demand may exceed record levels for winter.”

Looking ahead: “[F]rigid temperatures and dangerous wind chills are set to linger into the weekend across much of the country, with forecasters at the U.S. National Weather Service calling it ‘the longest duration of cold in several decades.’”

Mitigation: Several grid operators obtained waivers for some pollution limits, so they could boost production from sources like diesel or coal (Bloomberg).

• “U.S. energy officials also asked grid operators to make backup power available from facilities including data centers.”

All-of-the-above: On Sunday, during the brunt of the storm in many places, “coal and nuclear resources supplied an overwhelming majority of electricity to the nation’s largest customer base. Gas met more than 39% of PJM’s load, while nuclear supplied 26% and coal nearly 23%, while wind fed just shy of 5%,” ( POLITICO).

The NAM says: “Events like Winter Storm Fern starkly demonstrate the need to continue to expand our energy systems and invest in their resiliency—from electric transmission and distribution lines to pipelines—alongside a focus on reliability and affordability,” said NAM Vice President of Domestic Policy Chris Phalen. “As manufacturers continue to invest and expand in the U.S., and data center construction proceeds at full tilt, the urgency of securing, expanding and reinforcing our entire energy system will only grow.”

• “This storm also demonstrates why the NAM’s all-of-the-above energy and permitting reform strategies are the best solutions for America’s increasing demand for power—we need to be able to permit and build all forms of energy generation and get this energy where it needs to go.”