PJM Data Center Regulation Proposal Stalls Amid Rising Utility Costs and Grid Pressure
The PJM Mid-Atlantic electric grid operator is facing an impasse among stakeholders as it attempts to select a proposal for regulating data center connections to the power system, amidst rising load forecasts and utility costs. The "Protect Ratepayer Proposal," championed by Maryland State Sen. Katie Fry Hester, aims to streamline interconnections while encouraging data centers to generate their own power sources, but its success hinges on resolving a structural conflict of interest within PJM's decision-making processes, where entities with a vested financial interest in large infrastructure projects dominate the voting power.
