Grid operator PJM seems poised to place a priority on a handful of projects in Delaware as it works through a lengthy backlog.
The reworked review process is expected to clear 300 new generation projects totaling 26,000 megawatts in 2024, marking significant progress in the integration of renewables and other generation into the nation’s largest electric grid.
Of the listed projects, only five are located in Delaware. However, the total generation represents about a third of the electricity produced in the state. The bulk of the electricity needed in Delaware to meet renewable standards will likely be generated outside the state.
Delaware’s renewable energy will come from solar projects since it has little land for onshore wind. See the above graphic for an overview. Click here for information on electric generation in Delaware
PJM also identified another 46,000 megawatts of generation capacity in projects that should clear PJM’s study process and be ready for construction by mid-2025, for a total of 72,000 megawatts of projects, mostly renewable and battery resources, expected to complete the process by that time.
PJM had been the target of criticism for the backlog of projects, many of which were unlikely to go online. It has since refined the process to put a priority on more feasible projects.
“Interconnection process reform is delivering on the commitment made by PJM and its stakeholders to speed the study process for the thousands of new generation projects to connect with the PJM grid,” said Ken Seiler, Sr., vice president of planning. “While siting and supply chain issues continue to slow the development of new generation resources, there will be a growing number of projects approved for interconnection in the near term.”
Delaware has not been immune to the trend of seeing hurdles faced by solar projects due to factors that include not-in-my-backyard opposition and worries about the loss of farmland.
At the end of 2023, about 40,000 megawatts of projects that had completed the PJM study process had yet to move through construction due to siting, supply chain, and financing issues.
PJM’s new interconnection process went into operation in July, with 734 projects eligible for evaluation in the first step. Of those, 118 either dropped out of the process or did not post sufficient readiness requirements by the due date, clearing the queue of projects that were less certain to be developed but still required the same time and resources.
The remaining 616 projects fell evenly into two workstreams: 308 projects with lesser impact to the system qualified for an Expedited Process, or “Fast Lane,” with final documentation to be issued throughout 2024; the other 308 projects will be studied as part of the first transition cycle, which will account for the additional 46,000 megawatts of new generation and are expected to clear the process by mid-2025.
PJM’s interconnection process reform, supported by stakeholders, was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in November 2022.
The new process also improves project cost certainty for network upgrades. It significantly enhances the overall process by which new and upgraded generation resources are studied and introduced onto the electrical grid in 13 states and the District of Columbia, a release stated.
PJM has warned that largely coal-fired generating plants are being retired faster than new generation is coming online. In the case of the state’s last coal-fired plant in Sussex County, PJM recommended, and the owner accepted keeping the site open while work is done on beefing up the grid, with ratepayers making up for losses.
The Indian River plant’s connection to the grid is being eyed as the connection for wind projects off the Maryland and Delaware coasts.
Other pressures on the grid include data centers in the Washington, DC area, an increase in electric vehicles and increased use of electric heat pumps as federal and state incentives come into play.
