Overview
- PJM must revise its open-access transmission tariff, which FERC found unjust and unreasonable, to spell out terms, conditions and rates for serving co-located loads.
- New frameworks to be developed could include charging large users only for the transmission services they use or requiring payments to replace energy diverted from the broader grid.
- The unanimous order follows a dispute over a proposed Amazon data center colocation at Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna nuclear plant.
- CNA reports that rapid data center growth has helped drive PJM capacity prices up roughly 1,000% in two years, with some areas seeing more than 20% increases in utility bills.
- Power plant owners welcomed the ruling while utilities and consumer advocates warned of reliability and cost-shift risks, and AP reports the move could guide responses to a federal push for faster large-load connections.