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PJM accepts first fast-track interconnection projects: 2.1 GW of storage and gas

PJM Interconnection has accepted the first three projects under its Expedited Interconnection Track - 2.1 GW of battery storage and gas capacity in Pennsylvania and Ohio, including nearly 1.7 GW of Engie storage - with all three expected online by mid-2029.

By Greener Numbers Editorial Team · Published October 18, 2026 · Updated 10/18/2026

The PJM Interconnection has accepted the first three projects under its Expedited Interconnection Track, a combined 2.1 GW of battery storage and natural gas capacity in Pennsylvania and Ohio, the grid operator said in an October 8, 2026 announcement. PJM expects all three projects to come online by mid-2029.

Two Engie IR Holdings battery storage projects account for nearly 1.7 GW of the total: the 860 MW Wayne 345 kV project in Crawford, Pennsylvania, in the PENELEC zone, and the 800 MW Galion 345 kV project in Morrow, Ohio, in the ATSI zone. An LS Power unit won approval to add 455 MW to its existing 810 MW Hunterstown combined-cycle natural gas plant in Adams, Pennsylvania, in the Met-Ed zone. LS Power bought the Hunterstown plant from Platinum Equity in 2024, Utility Dive reported.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the expedited process in June, and PJM opened its application window on July 31. To qualify, projects must offer at least 250 MW of unforced capacity, hold backing from a primary siting authority and be able to begin operation within three years. PJM will approve up to 10 expedited requests per calendar year in 2026 and 2027, and the track sunsets at the end of 2027.

PJM built the fast track as it faces tight supply conditions, little new generation coming online in recent years and demand forecasts driven higher by planned data centers - a dynamic that has sharply raised PJM capacity costs and, in some areas, electric utility bills.

The expedited track operates alongside other PJM efforts to bring new generation online, including a pending reliability backstop procurement, updates to surplus interconnection service rules and a reformed generator interconnection process.

Official source: insidelines.pjm.com ↗