PJM Expedited Interconnection Track Adds 500 MW Battery in Pennsylvania

PJM Interconnection said on Nov. 10 that it has accepted a fourth project into its Expedited Interconnection Track (EIT): a 500 MW battery storage facility from Little Blue Solar LLC in Beaver, Pennsylvania, in the ATSI zone, due online in mid-2029.

PJM said the first three proposals, accepted in October, were two battery projects and one natural gas upgrade totaling more than 2,100 MW. Adding the 500 MW project to the 860 MW, 800 MW and 455 MW figures PJM lists puts the four accepted proposals at 2,615 MW of nameplate capacity, which is Voltgrid's arithmetic, not a PJM total.

The EIT is a temporary lane for large generation that a state backs and that can run within three years. PJM describes it as one element of its response to fast demand growth, particularly from data centers, so it is a test of whether new supply can reach the grid faster than the normal queue allows.

What PJM accepted

PJM opened the EIT application window on July 31. A project needs backing from a primary siting authority, which is a state commitment to help speed permitting, and must offer at least 250 MW of unforced capacity, the amount credited for reliability purposes. PJM said it will approve up to 10 interconnection requests per calendar year in 2026 and 2027, taking proposals on a rolling basis until that limit is reached.

The accepted projects are referenced in PJM's database by their planned point of interconnection. Wayne 345 kV is an 860 MW battery in Crawford, Pennsylvania, in the PENELEC zone. Galion 345 kV is an 800 MW battery in Morrow, Ohio, in the ATSI zone. Hunterstown 500 kV adds 455 MW to an existing gas plant in Adams, Pennsylvania, in the Met-Ed zone. Utility Dive reported in October that the first two belong to Engie IR Holdings and the Hunterstown uprate to an LS Power unit, which owns the 810 MW combined-cycle plant.

PJM expects each project to sign a Generation Interconnection Agreement within 10 months of submission. The EIT process ends at the end of 2027. Four of the 10 slots for 2026 are now filled, counting by the number of accepted projects.

Why it matters for large loads

PJM describes the EIT as one element of its response to demand growth from data centers and other large loads. It sits beside the reliability backstop procurement, which PJM amended at FERC on Oct. 29, and a winter outlook that expects a record 147,500 MW peak against 182,426 MW of capacity.

Three of the four accepted projects are batteries, together 2,160 MW of the 2,615 MW. Batteries release stored energy at peak hours rather than add new fuel-burning supply, so most of the fast lane's early volume is storage. The one gas uprate adds 455 MW at a site that already has a grid connection.

Where the sources differ

Pennsylvania's governor said in a Nov. 5 release that three of four projects PJM approved for the 2026 EIT window are in the state, adding 1.7 GW by mid-2029, and dated the approvals as of Oct. 28. It names the Beaver County project Little Blue Energy Storage and credits developer DESRI, LLC, while PJM's post names Little Blue Solar LLC. The state's 1.7 GW figure is lower than the 1,815 MW that PJM's three Pennsylvania figures sum to, and the release does not explain the gap. The state also says PJM reviews these projects in about 12 months, against PJM's 10-month agreement target.

What is not confirmed yet

PJM has not said when the remaining six 2026 slots will be filled or whether the 10-request limit will bind. Cost allocation, permits and construction financing for the four projects are not in PJM's post. The mid-2029 online date is PJM's expectation, not a commitment from the developers. The developer name and the Pennsylvania capacity total should be checked against PJM's EIT project list when it is next updated.