PJM Isn’t Ready For Data Center Growth, Expert Says

The 13-state electricity grid that includes West Virginia may not be ready for the expected growth in data centers.

PJM, which includes part of all of 12 states and the District of Columbia, hasn’t kept up with new investments in generation and transmission to support data centers.

That’s what Jon Gordon, director of Advanced Energy United, told energy journalists during a Zoom presentation Wednesday.

“These data centers couldn’t come at a worse time,” he said.

Gordon said the critical infrastructure in PJM is 50 to 60 years old, and electricity demand is increasing as older power plants are retired.

“A data center can be built much more quickly than the infrastructure needed to support it, so you have kind of an inherent mismatch there,” he said.

PJM has been slow to approve new resources, especially renewables, to connect to the grid.

Gordon said policymakers will have to keep the data center buildout from harming electricity consumers and grid reliability.

“It’s a massive challenge,” he said.

West Virginia is trying to lure more data center projects, but so far, Virginia leads in the region, while Pennsylvania has scored some recent wins.