Update from BGE at 7:30 p.m.:
BGE said Monday night that the incident stemmed from a transmission equipment issue at a power plant serving its customers, leading to an unplanned disconnection from the BGE electric system. The company emphasized that this was not a resource adequacy issue but a transmission constraint issue. BGE continues to work with the plant’s owner to make repairs, and added it is still investigating and has not identified the exact cause.
BGE coordinated with PJM Interconnection to avoid a larger outage, issuing a conservation call and initiating emergency PeakRewards and Connected Rewards cycling events. PJM also ordered a temporary voltage reduction to lower load.
Ultimately, PJM directed BGE to interrupt service for about 4,000 customers in Howard County for 30 minutes around 4 p.m. to prevent longer, more substantial impacts. The directive has since been lifted, and BGE confirmed that the conservation request and emergency measures were officially lifted around 6:30 p.m.
At this time, BGE said it does not anticipate additional outages related to the incident.
BALTIMORE — Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. (BGE) is asking customers to conserve electricity Monday afternoon and evening to help prevent widespread outages after a power plant unexpectedly disconnected from the utility’s system.
The company said the unplanned disconnection is putting strain on the electric grid. Customers are urged to begin conserving electricity immediately and continue through the evening. BGE is also encouraging residents to prepare for the possibility of a power outage.
“If an outage is necessary, we will make every effort to alert customers in advance,” the utility said in a statement.
BGE has also activated an emergency cycling event for customers enrolled in its PeakRewards Air Conditioning program. Air conditioners will be cycled at 50%, 75% or 100% of their full cycling level for the duration of the event, and customers will not be able to override participation. Those enrolled in the Connected Rewards program may see thermostats automatically adjusted by up to 4 degrees.
Customers with medical or health conditions who require immediate assistance are urged to call the PeakRewards hotline at 1-888-309-PEAK (7325).
Southern Maryland Impact: Calvert County is the only part of Southern Maryland served by BGE. As of 3:51 p.m. Monday, no outages were reported there. The largest concentration of outages remains in Baltimore City and surrounding central Maryland counties.
How to check outage status:
- BGE Outage Map: Visit BGE’s online outage tracker for real-time information, including outage numbers by county and estimated restoration times.
- Text alerts: Text “OUT” to MYBGE (69243) to report an outage or get updates.
- MyBGE App: Use the mobile app to report outages, track restoration or enroll in alerts.
- Phone: Call 1-877-778-2222 for outage reporting and updates.
More information on outage preparedness is available at www.bge.com/outages/preparing-for-an-outage/outage-readiness-and-safety.
Maryland Freedom Caucus Responds
Following the BGE alert, the Maryland Freedom Caucus issued a statement linking the incident to state energy policy. The group said the substation failure tied to the Brandon Shores Power Plant could result in rolling blackouts and argued that “radical, extremist energy policies” from Maryland Democrats and Gov. Wes Moore are contributing to grid instability.
The caucus urged the governor to:
- Keep existing plants open and reopen recently closed facilities.
- End what it called “Green Energy Scam” mandates.
- Eliminate the EmPOWER surcharge.
- Immediately add nuclear energy to Maryland’s Tier 1 options.
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