FERC Approves PJM's 50 MW Load Registry but Rejects Data Center Curtailment Plan

FERC said the plan raised concerns about state authority over retail sales and the treatment of different customer groups. PJM may file a revised curtailment proposal.

The Technical Details

IRAS would have required certain new large loads to bring new capacity or face curtailment in emergencies. It also proposed excluding eligible new large loads from part of PJM's capacity-market demand calculation starting with the 2029/2030 delivery year.

The approved registry collects each large load's location, projected in-service date, ramp schedule, peak demand, supply arrangements and backup generation.

• Order date: October 9, 2026 (docket ER26-3515-000)
• Registry threshold: 50 MW at a single site
• Registry effective date: October 12, 2026
• IRAS curtailment and bring-your-own-capacity provisions: rejected
• Capacity-market exclusion proposal: from 2029/2030 delivery year, rejected
• PJM footprint: 13 states, 67 million customers

Voltgrid Analysis: Infrastructure Implications

No firm rule on who goes dark first

Developers in PJM now face a registry that records their ramp schedules without a defined curtailment priority. Commissioner Rosner's concurrence argued that clear rules on curtailment order are still needed. Until a revised filing lands, emergency treatment of large loads remains a state and operator question.

Planning data versus executable load

The registry improves PJM's forecast inputs, but analysts quoted by TechTarget note that a reported 500 MW project is not the same as 500 MW of energized demand. Operators should expect PJM to use registry data to stress-test ramp claims.

Capacity prices

Utility Dive reported that the ruling could keep PJM capacity prices higher for longer. For AI campus budgets, that points to sustained pressure on power cost per MW in the region, a projection rather than a forecast figure.

Looking Ahead

PJM's revised curtailment filing will need to explain why data centers would be cut before other large users. Developers should plan around the 50 MW registry now and treat curtailment terms as unsettled.

Source: The Allegheny Front, TechTarget, Utility Dive, FERC.