Members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission greeted a sudden burst of political pressure and reform proposals directed at the nation’s largest regional grid operator with a mix of enthusiasm and caution at Thursday’s open meeting.
Commissioners praised the efforts by power companies to address PJM Interconnection’s projected shortfall in electricity supply before the decade’s end. While they did not speak to the merits of recent proposals, commissioners warned that whatever comes next must be legally durable and fair to customers.
“It’s absolutely essential that the entire industry has a thorough technical understanding of what reliability impacts might arise as the types of large loads on the system change,” said Commissioner Judy Chang, a Democrat.
Last week, a bipartisan coalition of all 13 PJM-state governors joined Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright at the White House to demand “immediate reform” in the nation’s largest grid footprint, which serves 67 million people. The coalition’s “statement of principles” urged PJM to broker long-term electricity supply contracts for data centers and extend price caps on certain capacity-market payments, among other consumer protections.
