April 29, 2025

Maryland protests shouldering billion-dollar transmission expansion for Virginia data centers

Virginia’s data center boom is sparking a heated interstate dispute over how to assign costs for billions of dollars in grid upgrades.

Cost Allocation Concerns: The Maryland's Office of People's Counsel (OPC) is challenging PJM Interconnection LLC's proposed cost allocation for billions of dollars in transmission upgrades, driven primarily by data center growth in Northern Virginia, according to an April 28 filing. The OPC asserts this allocation unfairly burdens Maryland ratepayers with costs disproportionately benefiting Virginia, violating fundamental electric transmission cost allocation ...

Details:

Filing Date: April 28, 2025

Docket Numbers:

ER25-1811

Short Summary:

The Maryland’s Office of People’s Counsel (OPC) is challenging PJM Interconnection LLC’s proposed cost allocation for billions of dollars in transmission upgrades, driven primarily by data center growth in Northern Virginia, according to an April 28 filing. The OPC asserts this allocation unfairly burdens Maryland ratepayers with costs disproportionately benefiting Virginia, violating fundamental electric transmission cost allocation principles.

Impact Level:

Categories:

Rate & Tariff Tracker

Tags: Data Centers, Ratepayer Impacts, Transmission, Transmission Cost Allocation, Transmission Planning, Transmission Projects

Entities: Maryland's Office of People's Counsel, PJM Interconnection

Markets: PJM Interconnection (PJM)

Regions: Mid-Atlantic & Midwest

States: Maryland, Virginia

Regulators: FERC

Courts:

Documents:

Transmission Cost Allocation – Application – Protest