Power lines paralyzed, power supply backlog, Chicago electricity prices plummet below zero.

Despite the blizzard pushing up the demand for electricity, the Chicago area's electricity prices have fallen into negative territory due to the high voltage transmission lines already operating at full capacity. According to monitoring data from the NRGStream platform under the Akes Electrical Company, at 10:10 am local time on Monday, the real-time electricity price in the Edison Electric Company's supply area dropped to -227.93 USD per megawatt-hour, while the average price in the area was still above 50 USD on Sunday. Despite the recent extreme cold weather in the northern Midwest of the United States, leading to a surge in heating electricity demand, when long-distance transmission lines reach their capacity limit and cannot transfer excess electricity to other markets, there will be an excess of electricity supply. The PJM Interconnection, which operates the largest electricity grid in the United States covering parts of 13 states and serving a population of over 67 million, declined to comment on the matter.