PJM Completes Transition Cycle 1 Interconnection Studies

PJM has completed Transition Cycle 1 Interconnection Studies, sending out draft agreements for 130 New Service Requests to be completed or withdrawn by the end of 2025.

Transition Cycle 2, set to be completed by 2026, is still pending. The agreements represent 128 new generation service requests for a combined energy output of approximately 17.4 GW, including 8.4 GW of capacity. The projects by output are 56% solar, 25% wind, 10% storage, 5% hybrid and 3% natural gas.

The studies also include two merchant transmission projects providing approximately 2 GW of interregional transfer capability.

The new service requests will enter the final Decision Point of the Cycle, in which they are required to post full security to move forward. While some projects are expected to withdraw by the October 21 decision deadline, the reformed interconnection process is filtering out nonviable projects and providing more certainty on the network upgrades required to connect projects.

PJM has studied approximately 160 GW of generation interconnection projects. The interconnection transition queue has been reduced to about 46 GW of projects, all of which will be processed by the end of 2026 in Transition Cycle 2.

The application deadline for Cycle No. 1 of PJM’s reformed interconnection process will be April 27, 2026. The processing time for issuing Generation Interconnection Agreements will be one to two years, and PJM is exploring ways to accelerate the process.

Outside of Transition Cycle 1, approximately 46 GW of generation projects, enough to power 40 million homes, signed agreements to connect to the grid as of June. Completion of Transition Cycle 1 will add up to 17.4 GW to the existing number.

PJM has connected approximately 2.1 GW of new generation in 2025, composed of solar (2,033 MW), wind (55 MW) and coal (29 MW).