PJM Interconnection is considering changes to its interconnection reliability requirements for data centers following a mass outage, according to Data Center Dynamics. The grid operator serves 13 states and the District of Columbia, making any rule changes potentially consequential for hundreds of facilities across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. The review signals that PJM is moving toward holding data centers to more stringent grid reliability standards than those currently in place.
PJM's interconnection queue covers some of the densest data center markets in the country, including Northern Virginia. Tighter reliability requirements could raise interconnection costs, delay new projects, or force existing operators to upgrade backup infrastructure, reshaping the economics of development across the region.
Keywords 'PJM,' 'interconnection reliability,' 'mass outage,' and 'data centers' triggered selection. This story ranked highest because it involves a formal regulatory review by a major grid operator with direct consequences for the largest data center market in the US.