FERC Backs PJM Data Center Registry but Blocks Emergency Power Shutoffs

Capacity costs across PJM Interconnection's grid have surged more than 1,000% since 2024, creating an estimated 6.8-gigawatt shortfall that threatens reliability for 67 million people across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. PJM forecasts regional data center electricity demand will triple by 2030 to roughly 29 gigawatts of capacity. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved PJM's plan to create a database detailing data center power providers, in-service dates, ramp schedules, backup generation, and fuel sources starting October 12. FERC rejected PJM's core proposal to temporarily curtail grid power to data center facilities sized at 50 megawatts or greater during emergencies, ruling that singling them out ahead of other large power consumers exceeded the grid operator's authority. Regulators stated PJM may submit a revised curtailment proposal, provided it justifies the operational rationale for shutting off server warehouses before other industrial electricity users.