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PJM to Expedite Large-Capacity Projects After FERC Approval

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PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission organization in the US, said Wednesday that interconnection agreements for large-capacity projects may now be processed within 10 months, following the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of its proposed accelerated approach.

Under the new Expedited Interconnection Track, PJM said it will consider up to 10 interconnection requests per calendar year for large new or uprated capacity resources.

The projects, that have a minimum unforced capacity of 250 megawatts, should "have a commitment from a relevant state authority to help expedite siting," according to the RTO.

Following submission of request, PJM expects an interconnection agreement to be executed within 10 months, with projects to be operational within three years.

"...we find that the EIT proposal will help address PJM's near-term resource adequacy needs by establishing a separate, time-limited, expedited interconnection process for a limited number of resources that are able to bring significant capacity onto the system in the near-term," FERC said.

The regulator's order is effective from July 31, and the fast-track process will run through the end of 2027.

The EIT is a part of the RTO's broader strategy to address power supply and demand imbalance within the PJM service zone, particularly with rising demand from large-load customers, such as data centers.

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