KING OF PRUSSIA PA – With a background of recent discussions on building or zoning for electricity-hungry data centers in Montgomery and Chester counties, the organization overseeing the grid that supplies power to 13 states said Friday (Jan. 16, 2026) it set a “course of action” to preserve both “electricity system reliability and affordability.”
Decisions by the PJM Interconnection Board of Managers, it says, are in part intended to answer the question: How can it accommodate data centers “while keeping the lights on and recognizing the impact on consumers at the same time?”
The board, in a news release, says it proposes to:
- Make “significant load forecasting improvements” for the grid, and provide an “increased role for states;”
- Create “avenues” for new large-load grid users like data centers “to bring their own new generation, or enter into a connect-and-manage framework subject to earlier curtailment;”
- Offer “an accelerated interconnection track for state-sponsored generation projects;”
- Immediately start to look for “backstop generation” suppliers “to address short-term reliability needs;” and
- Review its markets to determine if and how they can work together “to support investment.”
Locally, data center proposals have arisen during recent months in Limerick PA (Montgomery County), and in East Vincent and East Coventry PA (Chester County). Those municipal discussions are being covered by reporter Evan Brandt of The Mercury newspaper in Pottstown (click boldface links in this paragraph).
Top photo by Travels With The Post
What’s Proposed Statewide, and Where
- See a map showing the status of data centers proposed, existing, delayed, or withdrawn to date in Pennsylvania. Be forewarned: it is updated only occasionally. The map is available on the Pennsylvania Data Center Proposal Tracker.
- Read a story at the Spotlight PA online news outlet about the map’s founder.
Muth Says Commission to Consider Game Land Swap
Separately, 44th District state Sen. Katie Muth reports the Pennsylvania Game Commission is scheduled to vote Jan. 24 (Saturday) in Harrisburg on a proposed land swap involving state-owned game lands in Linfield.
- Find the commission’s online agenda here, and scroll to Page 70.
If approved, Muth says, the swapped acreage has the potential to be used for an additional data center, other than the proposal already being considered in Limerick.
Muth, whose district includes parts of Chester, Berks, and Montgomery counties, during Friday on Facebook urged constituents to make their voices heard. She suggested traveling in person to the Saturday meeting. As an alternative, Muth also suggests those who oppose the swap contact the commission “ahead of time” by e-mail to pgcboard@pa.gov.
Rising Utility Costs of Data Centers
According to a Bloomberg Technology News analysis published last September, electricity costs “in areas located near significant data center activity” more than doubled during a single month, compared to five years ago.
The reason, a separate research study published in June suggests, is because electric utilities are adding the cost of cryptocurrency mining and data centers to customers’ bills.
PJM Interconnection covers electric grid operations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Above photo by Andrey Metelev on Unsplash, used under license
Supplemental Reading
- “New Jersey, Pennsylvania retool power load forecasting oversight,” The Center Square, Jan. 21, 2026
- “Allegheny lawmakers envision a geothermal future,” The Center Square, Jan. 15, 2026
- “New year, old challenges as AI faces uncertain path to power,” The Center Square, Jan. 2, 2026
Our local news reporting includes articles about state, county, borough, township, and village government decisions and activities within, or that affect residents of, Montgomery, Berks, and Chester PA counties. It also includes Traffic articles about private and public transportation issues. Find more government articles here.
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