PJM is the largest wholesale power market and transmission planning region in the US. Currently, it is stuck between a rock and a hard place: on one side, rising demand from data centers; on the other, a choked and congested interconnection queue that can’t keep pace. The result: rising prices and political discontent. I [David Roberts of the Volts podcast] talk with Clara Summers of the Citizens Utility Board about how PJM can solve this dilemma and get prices under control.

After months of suspense, the PJM Interconnection Board has proposed a series of policy changes on how to manage data center energy demand–a challenge that, if left unchecked, could in a few years spark catastrophic blackouts and price spikes for the 67 million customers who live in the nation’s largest power grid region. 

The following is a statement from CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz on the results of PJM Interconnection’s 2027-28 capacity auction, announced Wednesday, Dec. 17

Read the full statement here.