PA Environment Digest Blog: PJM, Google & Tapestry Join Forces To Apply A.I. To Enhance Regional Planning, Generation Interconnection

On April 10, the PJM Interconnection announced a multiyear collaboration with Google and Tapestry to deploy AI-enhanced tools to further streamline PJM’s planning process for connecting new generation resources to the nation’s largest electrical grid.

This joint effort has the goal of significantly cutting processing times for reviewing new interconnection applications, allowing large volumes of requests to be processed quickly and accurately to meet the fast-growing demand for electricity in PJM’s service area of 13 states and Washington, D.C.

Tapestry, the self-described “moonshot for the electrical grid” project, will work with PJM on developing and deploying a new set of AI tools and models to intelligently manage and optimize PJM’s generation interconnection process, powered by Google Cloud and Google DeepMind, Alphabet’s world-leading artificial intelligence research lab.

“Innovation will be critical to meeting the demands on the future grid, and we’re leveraging some of the world’s best capabilities with these cutting-edge tools to further reduce completion times for New Service Requests,” said Aftab Khan, PJM’s Executive Vice President – Operations, Planning & Security. “PJM is committed to bringing new generation onto the system as quickly and reliably as possible.”

PJM is looking at AI, and specifically its work with Tapestry, to help improve planning tools to further expedite PJM’s processing of generation resources that will be needed to meet continued increased demand in future years.

“AI can play a pivotal role in improving and expanding the electricity system while maintaining reliability and security,” said Page Crahan, General Manager of Tapestry. “We will deliver a set of collaborative AI tools that enable PJM to make faster decisions with greater confidence, making more energy capacity available to interconnect in shorter time frames and helping to integrate the many dynamic resources looking to join the grid.”

“This initiative brings together our most advanced technologies to help solve one of the greatest challenges of the AI era – evolving our electricity systems to meet this moment,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Head of Data Center Energy for Google. “We see the opportunity to help secure America’s electricity needs with the many resources seeking to provide energy to the grid, and believe this work with PJM is a great catalyst for innovation across the United States.”

This collaboration with Google and Tapestry complements PJM’s ongoing efforts to automate its planning processes as it implements the reformed interconnection process that began in July 2023.

PJM will process the remaining 67 GW of projects (out of approximately 200 GW) in the transition phase this year and next, and initiate its new Cycle process in early 2026.

PJM also recently announced the Reliability Resource Initiative, which will allow expedited entry of selected projects in the transition phase.

Click Here for a video summary.

Click Here for PJM/Google announcement.

PJM Interconnection ensures the reliability of the high-voltage electric power system serving 67 million people in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Resource Links:

-- WPXI: Microsoft Says It’s ‘Slowing Or Pausing’ Some A.I. Data Center Projects, Including #1 Billion Plan For Ohio

-- PJM Interconnection Supports Presidential Exemptions From Clean Air Act Standards Requested By 13,900 MW Of Electric Generation In PJM Region, Including Keystone And Conemaugh Power Plants In PA [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection Reliability Initiative Attracts 94 Applications For 26.6 GW Of New Electric Generation Capacity; Reviews To Be Completed By 2026; List Of Projects Not Available Now [PaEN]

-- PUC Launches Review Of Electric Grid Impacts From Data Center Growth, Sets April 24 Hearing [PaEN]