Allegheny County Council issued a letter to PJM Interconnection on Tuesday criticizing the multistate power grid manager for failing to upgrade its approval process after it received a federal citation.
PJM, the power grid operator that manages Pennsylvania’s electricity grid along with a dozen other states, was cited by federal regulators last year after Gov. Josh Shapiro filed a complaint with the company for announcing an increase in capacity costs for all of its state networks.
PJM and Shapiro settled in December, with federal regulators approving the settlement in April. That caps power plants to charge $325-per-megawatt-per-day, and setting a minimum price of $175-per-megawatt per day.
Council on Tuesday unanimously approved council President Patrick Catena’s motion to urge PJM to comply with federal requirements and recommendations to improve its interconnection process for new energy generation projects.
“Although PJM has made essential reforms to its interconnection process, it still has one of the longest timelines in the country for projects wanting to connect to its grid,” the motion reads. “Energy projects that began operating in 2025 had spent an average of 8 years sitting in the PJM queue awaiting approval to move ahead.”
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a 2023 order that recommended a 150-day turnaround for interconnection timelines.
“Even with FEC’s 2023 order in place, PJM’s process still takes 540 days,” the motion continues.
The motion argues that clean energy projects, including wind and solar projects, made up the majority of those waiting beyond a federally mandated timeline.
In an emailed statement to TribLive, PJM spokesman Dan Lockwood said county council’s letter overlooks the organization’s efforts in the last year to shift its approval process from a “first-come, first-served” model to a “first-ready, first-served” system.
“The Allegheny County Council may not have been in a position to track the significant progress PJM has made over the past three years to reform its interconnection process and clear the way for new resources to be added to the grid,” Lockwood said.
In addition to shifting its approval process, PJM has also implemented stricter measures for developers, prioritized clearing backlogs and developed new rules to prioritize viable projects, per an organization release in mid-March.
With PJM being a multi-state entity, Allegheny County has no oversight over it.
The offices of U.S. Rep Chris Deluzio (D-Fox Chapel) and U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (D-Swissvale) did not respond to immediate requests for comment.
