PJM EIT / FERC approved / July 31 effective / 250 MW+

Plain-English framing. PJM is the regional grid operator covering 13 states from Illinois to North Carolina — the largest power market in North America by load and the biggest data center buildout zone in the country. To connect a new power plant to PJM's grid, the developer enters an 'interconnection queue' where PJM studies whether the surrounding grid can host that new generator. The standard queue has been famously broken: 5-7 year waits, thousands of projects stacked up, most withdrawing before reaching a contract. The Expedited Interconnection Track is a fast lane carved out of that queue. It accepts up to 10 projects per year. Each project must be at least 250 MW. Each must be far enough along to come online within 3 years of accepted entry. In exchange, PJM commits to delivering a signed Generator Interconnection Agreement in roughly 10 months — versus 5+ years in the standard track. Who objected, and why FERC overruled them. Vistra and LS Power (existing IPPs with projects already in the standard queue) argued the EIT discriminates against in-queue projects. The Illinois Commerce Commission and NJ Board of Public Utilities argued the new fast track will consume grid headroom and shift network-upgrade costs to other customers. Clean-energy groups objected because the EIT criteria favor large dispatchable generation (gas) over distributed renewables. FERC called the cost-shift concern 'speculative' and approved the program as filed. The pairing matters. The EIT goes effective the same day (July 31, 2026) as PJM's restructured co-located-load tariff — the rule that governs how a hyperscaler campus can sit next to a new power plant behind the same point of interconnection. Together they're the 'fast new gen plus clean co-location rules' stack PJM will market to data center developers.

Primary source · Utility Dive / PJM ER26-1563 filing / FERC order ↗