Grid reliability & policy · NEWS BRIEF

Pennsylvania proposes putting some large compute loads first in line for curtailment

By Grid & Silicon · Published October 5, 2026
Source: Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission · October 1, 2026

What happened

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission voted 4-0 to seek comment on proposed load-control procedures that would identify large computational sites and place eligible new loads ahead of other customers for curtailment when the regional grid is short of supply.

What the commission proposed

The tentative order would require Pennsylvania electric distribution companies to maintain registries of large computational loads and publish load-control plans in their tariffs. The draft definition covers a computational site with an anticipated peak demand of at least 25 megawatts at one interconnection point, or 50 megawatts across multiple points tied to one feeder. It includes AI, software-service, cryptocurrency and other data-center computing, while excluding manufacturing facilities.

During a qualifying pre-emergency event, utilities would curtail eligible computational loads that have not secured incremental capacity for their full demand before shedding other customers. The proposal also says data centers should not receive a blanket critical-load exemption during pre-emergency or emergency events. Limited protection could remain for essential real-time services tied to life, safety or public health, subject to conditions in the draft.

The physical mechanism

Curtailment means reducing, interrupting or suspending electric service. The proposal is designed around PJM's pending Interim Resource Adequacy Service, which would call on eligible large loads to reduce demand when capacity or energy is insufficient, before the grid operator escalates to broader emergency actions. A data center's uninterruptible power supply may bridge a loss of grid power, but batteries and backup generation do not automatically make the site exempt from curtailment.

The order cites a 6,831-megawatt capacity shortfall in PJM's 2028-29 delivery-year auction as the immediate reliability context. That figure describes the regional capacity market result, not a current Pennsylvania blackout or the demand of one data center.

What remains unsettled

This is a tentative order, not an effective state rule. Comments are due 30 days after publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and reply comments 15 days later. The commission expects to consider a final order at its January 28, 2027 public meeting; a later rulemaking may follow.

The outcome also depends on federal action on PJM's proposed service and on how Pennsylvania ultimately defines eligibility, exemptions, notice and verification of secured capacity. Those details will determine which facilities can be interrupted and how quickly utilities can call for reductions.

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