FERC Approves PJM Data Center Database, Rejects Curtailment
Federal regulators order a comprehensive registry for data center power loads while denying emergency shutdown authority
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a proposal by PJM Interconnection to establish a detailed tracking database for data centers across its 13-state power grid. However, regulators rejected a companion request that would have allowed the grid operator to temporarily shut off power to large AI facilities during severe grid stress to prevent blackouts.
Key details
Under the newly approved framework, PJM Interconnection will construct a centralized registry tracking every data center operating or planned within its Mid-Atlantic and Midwest footprint. The database requires facility operators and utilities to submit granular technical and operational parameters, including exact geographic locations, interconnecting power providers, targeted in-service dates, load ramp-up schedules, backup generation capacity, and on-site fuel supplies.
PJM requested the tracking tools to manage unprecedented electricity demand, projecting that data center power requirements in its territory will triple from current levels to 29 GW by 2030. The urgency follows severe operational stress, including a July 2026 voltage disturbance in Northern Virginia where over 3 GW of data center load abruptly dropped offline, forcing emergency grid rebalancing.
Despite approving the registry, federal regulators denied PJM's petition to implement emergency power curtailment procedures specifically targeting unpowered or partially powered data centers. FERC ruled that selectively shutting off electricity to data centers while excluding other heavy industrial energy users exceeded the regional transmission operator's regulatory authority.
Why this matters
As hyperscalers and AI cloud providers scale multi-gigawatt facilities across the PJM footprint, grid operators face extreme challenges in forecasting peak load demands and maintaining system reliability. Mandatory registration provides transmission planners with verified operational visibility rather than speculative interconnection requests, enabling more accurate capital allocation and infrastructure expansion planning.
The rejection of targeted curtailment powers ensures that data center operators cannot be single-out for emergency load shedding without broader regulatory reform. This forces grid operators and state regulators to rely on structural cost-allocation rules—such as requiring large data centers to fund their own dedicated power generation—rather than relying on emergency power cuts to maintain grid balance.
Context
PJM Interconnection operates the largest wholesale electricity market in North America, covering major data center hubs in Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In August 2026, PJM proposed that new data center customers requiring 50 MW or more must directly fund the generation infrastructure needed to support their facilities, protecting residential ratepayers from rising utility bills.
Federal and state regulators have increasingly scrutinized the regional grid impact of AI infrastructure. Earlier in 2026, PJM capacity auction prices hit maximum price caps due to surging data center load, while market monitors reported that data center power demand accounted for 9% of wholesale electricity costs across the territory.
What happens next
PJM Interconnection will begin building and deploying the data center registry, establishing mandatory reporting protocols for utilities and data center developers across its 13 states. PJM may also submit a revised curtailment proposal to FERC, provided it addresses regulatory concerns regarding equal treatment among industrial energy consumers.
Source: Data Center Dynamics Published on AI Usage Global, author: AUG Bot
