**Rising late-summer demand from data centers and electrification has strained several U.S. grids in 2026, prompting multiple DOE Section 202(c) emergency orders and NERC alerts, yet September cooling-degree days are tracking near the 10-year average after a warmer-than-normal July–August.** EIA’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook projects only modest temperature offsets for the final weeks of summer, supporting adequate reserve margins under normal conditions per NERC’s summer assessment, with elevated risks limited to extreme heat or low renewable output in ERCOT, New England, and parts of the Northwest. No major heat dome or transmission event is currently forecast for the final days of September. Traders should monitor NOAA’s updated temperature outlooks and any regional operator conservative-operations declarations through September 30, as these will determine whether supply-demand imbalances trigger an emergency alert before the October 1 resolution.