A combined $92 billion in energy and artificial intelligence (AI)-related investments were announced across Pennsylvania last week, with projects ranging from new data centers to natural gas plants and grid modernization efforts. The initiatives could mark a transformative step for both the state, which is emerging as a national tech powerhouse, and the U.S. as leader in the next era of digital infrastructure. We find the PJM interconnection region holds above-average potential for new data centers with the greatest projected future capacity in PJM DOM (Figure 1). The region’s robust fiber infrastructure and proximity to major population centers make it ideal for AI inference facilities. PJM has seen a surge in energy and AI investment over the past year, with facilities like TLN’s Susquehanna plant playing a pivotal role, showing how PJM energy infrastructure can meet the scaling demands of data centers.
The announcements follow the passage of two federal cryptocurrency-related bills, the Genius Act and the Clarity Act—in the U.S. House of Representatives, alongside the Pennsylvania Senate’s introduction of Bill 939. The legislation could provide legal clarity to promote the scaling of data-based applications that require distributed computing and storage, increasing energy use across cloud and edge networks. Bill 939 is aimed at streamlining regulatory processes for high-impact data centers with a critical information technology load of 50 MW or more.
A $25 billion joint venture between Blackstone and PPL Corporation and a $15 billion investment from FirstEnergy mark major steps toward boosting capacity and grid resilience in PJM. The projects represent needed investments in energy infrastructure previously lacking in parts of PJM and will be required as data centers are expected to make up a significant share of demand in PJM by 2035.
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