The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved PJM Interconnection’s new Large Load Registry while rejecting most of the grid operator’s broader plan for curtailing new data centers and other large electricity users during capacity shortages.

FERC’s October 9 order in docket ER26-3515 accepted PJM’s definition of a Large Load as an end-use customer with a cumulative peak demand of 50 MW or more at a single electrical site, along with the registry needed to track those loads. The registry took effect October 12.

The FERC order accepted the registry but rejected the rest of PJM’s Interim Resource Adequacy Service package, including the proposed “bring your own new capacity” framework and special curtailment treatment for new large loads.

Almost everyone is debating whether AI will replace their job. Nobody is asking whether AI can keep the lights on to do it.

Goldman Sachs revised global data center power demand to 1,350 terawatt-hours by 2030, up 220% from 2023. The United States alone needs 750 TWh, 60% of all… pic.twitter.com/gBA0BHOo5d

— Shanaka Anslem Perera ⚡ (@shanaka86) April 15, 2026

Why FERC rejected the curtailment plan

FERC said PJM had not adequately justified treating new large loads differently from other customers and raised concerns that parts of the plan intruded on state authority over retail electric service. The Commission left the door open for PJM to return with a revised proposal.

The distinction matters because PJM serves roughly 67 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C., while data-center demand across its footprint is projected to reach about 29 GW by 2030. Reuters reported that the registry will collect information such as locations, service dates, power schedules and fuel sources.

The fight is not over

The registry gives PJM much better visibility into where very large loads are coming and how quickly they will ramp. What it does not yet provide is a federally approved rule for deciding when those loads should be curtailed or how much new generation they must bring with them.

BitcoinVersus.Tech recently covered the scale of the AI infrastructure investment boom, a Senate probe into data-center costs and jobs, and how flexible Bitcoin-mining loads are shaping the AI-power discussion.

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