NEWS: PJM’s plan to manage new large loads isn’t cutting it.

In August, PJM filed its Interim Resource Adequacy Service (IRAS) proposal to bring data centers and other new large loads onto the grid. Now, FERC is back with some (harsh) feedback… 

The no’s: FERC turned down two major areas: 1) PJM’s plan to allow large loads to connect to the grid, as long as they agree to be curtailed when supplies are tight, and 2) its proposal that new large loads can avoid curtailment by bringing their own new capacity. 

The yes’s: The agency approved of PJM’s definition of large loads as 50 MW or greater, and greenlit its proposal to create a “Large Load Registry” (a database that PJM would maintain). 

The takeaways: Ultimately, the agency worried the proposal “may worsen the problems it is attempting to solve.” FERC also put more emphasis on states’ roles in “designating which retail customers must be curtailed when the system is stressed.”