Grid constraints
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Grid interconnection Grid constraints
PJM Says the Reprieve of the Milder Seasons Used for Maintenance Is Not What It Used to Be
In an article of October 15, 2026, PJM says the "once-dependable reprieve" of the milder seasons used for maintenance "is not what it used to be," in part because most of the new, rapidly growing demand is from data centers and other energy-intensive Large Load customers, whose consumption "does not fluctuate significantly with the weather."
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Grid interconnection Grid constraints
Short of the Reliability Requirement: PJM's 2028/2029 Capacity Auction
PJM's capacity auction for the 2028/2029 Delivery Year cleared at the price cap, and the total capacity cleared is short of the reliability requirement. PJM's release says the shortfall was not unexpected.
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Grid interconnection Grid constraints
Wait Times Remain Long: Berkeley Lab's Queued Up 2026 on Power Plants Seeking Interconnection
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's slide deck of June 2026 summarizes requests to connect power plants and storage to the transmission grid as of the end of 2025. It finds completion rates generally low and wait times long, natural gas capacity in the queues up, and more capacity withdrawn than newly requested.
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Grid interconnection Grid constraints
Electricity Use Expected to Double: SPP's Board Approves Its 2025 Transmission Plan
On November 5, 2025, the Southwest Power Pool said its board had approved projects in its 2025 Integrated Transmission Plan. The release sets the plan beside a forecast that electricity use across its region is expected to double over the next decade, and names no line and no date for service.
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Grid interconnection Grid constraints
Lines to Import Power: ERCOT's Reliability Plan for the Permian Basin Region
In July 2024 ERCOT filed a plan for the transmission needed to serve forecast load in the Permian Basin region of West Texas. Its paper on the plan says significant lines will be needed to import power, and sets out the forecast load and cost estimates for options at different voltages.
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Grid interconnection Grid constraints
An Exceptionally Long Wait: The Energy Department's Report on Large Power Transformers
A July 2024 report to Congress from the U.S. Department of Energy says the wait for a large power transformer has "become exceptionally long." It sets out what stands between an order and delivery, from a factory's build slots to the rail route.
