Watchdog for Electric Grid in Ohio, Other States Wants a Pause on Data Centers

Watchdog sounds the alarm that PJM's approval of data centers could leave other customers in the dark

A market watchdog files a complaint with the federal energy regulator for PJM to prioritize grid reliability over serving more big data centers.Jonathan Ernst/REUTERSA market watchdog files a complaint for PJM to prioritize grid reliability over data centers.The complaint filed with federal regulators comes as the grid operator takes on more data centers.The complaint highlights risks of blackouts and rising energy costs from data center expansi…

Everyone Wants to Know PJM’s Data Center Plan

As America’s largest electricity market was deliberating over how to reform the interconnection of data centers, its independent market monitor threw a regulatory grenade into the mix. Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, the monitor filed a complaint with federal regulators saying that PJM Interconnection, which spans from Washington, D.C. to Ohio, should simply stop connecting new large data centers that it doesn’t have the capacity to serve …

Watchdog for electric grid in Ohio, other states wants a pause on data centers

File photo of electricity pylons. (Getty Images). An oversight group for Ohio’s electric grid operator, PJM Interconnection, is asking federal officials to weigh in on the future of data centers. Monitoring Analytics, PJM’s independent market monitor, contends reliability should be PJM’s priority. But recent proposals contemplate bringing data centers online despite the possibility of periodic blackouts. Monitoring Analytics wants the Federal En…