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PJM Partners with Google and Tapestry to Enhance Grid Operations
The PJM Interconnection has entered a multi-year partnership with Google and Tapestry to optimize its planning processes for new generation resource interconnections. This collaboration is expected to improve the efficiency of handling new interconnection applications significantly.
Given the rapid growth in electrical demand—largely attributed to the explosion of data centers and the increasing adoption of electric vehicles—PJM faces pressing concerns regarding network reliability and future capacity constraints across its 13-state service region plus Washington, D.C.
The initiative will leverage Tapestry’s innovative approach to grid management, which is often described as a “moonshot for the electrical grid.” By utilizing AI-driven tools and models, the partnership aims to refine PJM’s interconnection procedures. The technological backbone of this effort will be powered by Google Cloud and Google DeepMind, Google’s AI research division.
Officials from PJM have stressed that employing AI in their planning processes is vital to effectively manage and accelerate the integration of necessary generation resources required to meet escalating future demand.
The increasing need for consistent power access is a central theme driving the growth of artificial intelligence and data centers. This heightening demand presents unique challenges to grid reliability, urging sectors including utilities and developers to explore innovative collaborative solutions and adaptive policy frameworks.
A prominent upcoming event, the DISTRIBUTECH conference, particularly the DTECH Data Centers & AI segment, aims to equip stakeholders with knowledge to manage the constraints of power supply and delays in project implementation, all while balancing sustainability with flexibility. From May 27-29, 2025, in San José, California, industry leaders and pioneers will convene to discuss AI’s potential in transforming utility operations and strategize on coping with growing demand.
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“Innovation will be vital to address future grid challenges, and we’re harnessing the best available technologies to expedite processing times for New Service Requests,” stated Aftab Khan, PJM’s Executive Vice President of Operations, Planning & Security.
This collaboration marks an advancement in PJM’s ongoing efforts to automate interconnection planning, a venture that began last year. The operator recently reported it has garnered 94 applications for its initiative aimed at speeding up interconnection for generation projects, representing an impressive 26.6 gigawatts (GW) of capacity. The Reliability Resource Initiative (RRI) is specifically designed to fast-track the connection of shovel-ready projects within PJM’s jurisdiction, addressing significant retirements of dispatchable power sources.
PJM reported last month that these proposed projects encompass not only new builds but also upgrades to existing nuclear and natural gas facilities, along with fresh battery storage solutions. PJM will utilize a FERC-approved methodology to evaluate up to 50 projects based on criteria that assess their contributions to grid reliability and the feasibility of operational timelines.
The region’s concerns about the electricity supply-demand imbalance were amplified following PJM’s capacity auction in July, when electricity prices soared by over 800 percent, escalating from $29 per megawatt day to $270. Key factors cited for these price surges include inadequate future transmission planning, the decommissioning of fossil fuel generation, extensive interconnection wait times, and the implementation of FERC market reforms.
In a positive development, PJM noted that over the past year, 1,100 megawatts of existing generation capacity has opted to stay in operation after initially planning to retire. The grid operator has also supported initiatives to convert old generating facilities into newer units, including proposals to transform the defunct coal-fired Homer City Generating Station in Pennsylvania into a natural gas-fired plant, and to restart the old Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station to contribute an additional 800 megawatts to the grid.
Originally published in Factor This Power Engineering.
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www.renewableenergyworld.com