Interconnection queue guide · PJM
PJM interconnection queue
How the reformed cycle process works, what the first cycle received, and what the public queue record shows at individual points of interconnection.
GridVision AI ResearchPublished Updated
PJM at a glance
- Process
- A cycle-based, first-ready, first-served process that replaced first-come, first-served.
- Cycle 1 application deadline
- April 27, 2026.
- Cycle 1 requests
- 811 projects and 220 GW of nameplate capacity.
- Largest resource types in Cycle 1
- Natural gas 105.8 GW (157 projects); storage 66.5 GW (349); nuclear 17.9 GW (27); solar 14.8 GW (142).
- Expected study duration
- One to two years, depending on the impact of an individual project.
- Transition backlog
- In September 2025, PJM said the remaining transition backlog of about 46 GW would be processed by the end of 2026.
Sources: PJM Inside Lines, “Over 800 New Generation Projects Seek To Connect Under PJM’s Reformed Process,” April 29, 2026; PJM Inside Lines, “PJM Completes Interconnection Reform Transition Cycle 1 Studies,” September 22, 2025.
Facts checked September 16, 2026.
How the PJM process works
PJM studies new service requests in cycles. Each cycle moves through the same sequence:
- 01ApplicationSubmit the application, study deposit, readiness deposit and site-control evidence by the cycle deadline.
- 02Application reviewPJM checks each application for completeness.
- 03Phase 1, then Decision Point 1
- 04Phase 2, then Decision Point 2
- 05Phase 3, then Decision Point 3
- 06Final agreement
At each decision point, the project owner decides whether to continue into the next phase. Deposit and withdrawal terms are set by PJM's tariff and Manual 14H, which govern any live project.
Sources: PJM, “Cycle 01 Application Requirements and NextGen Process,” Interconnection Process Subcommittee, January 2026; PJM Manual 14H: New Service Requests Cycle Process.
What a PJM Cycle 1 application required
PJM's January 2026 presentation to its Interconnection Process Subcommittee listed these Cycle 1 application requirements:
- Study deposit
- One deposit for the whole cycle, from $75,000 (0–20 MW) to $400,000 (over 750 MW). 10% is non-refundable, and the developer pays the full study cost.
- Readiness deposit
- $4,000 per MW of the larger of the energy and capacity values, by letter of credit or wire transfer.
- Site control
- 100% of the generating facility, including the high side of the main power transformer, valid for one year from the application deadline. Minimum acreage: solar 5 acres/MW, wind 30 acres/MW, battery 1 acre per 100 MWh.
- Agreements and data
- An executed Application and Studies Agreement, with technical data entered in PJM's NextGen platform.
What the public record shows at PJM points of interconnection
Across the 26 PJM points of interconnection GridVision has published so far, the Berkeley Lab dataset records 148 interconnection requests filed between 1997 and 2025.
| Outcome | Requests | Capacity (MW) |
|---|---|---|
| Reached commercial operation | 62 | 4,589 |
| Withdrew | 78 | 22,027 |
| Still active | 8 | 637 |
| Total | 148 | 27,253 |
For the requests that were built, the median time from request to commercial operation was 3.0 years. For those that withdrew, the median time from request to withdrawal was 2.2 years.
These 26 nodes are not a random sample of PJM, and a pattern at one point of interconnection does not transfer to another. The dataset records what happened, not why.
| Point of interconnection | State | Requests | Built | Withdrawn | Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay 138 kV | Indiana | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Keystone 345 kV | Indiana | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Olive-Dequine 345 kV | Indiana | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Calvert Cliffs 500 kV | Maryland | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Dickerson 230 kV | Maryland | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Burlington 26 kV | New Jersey | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Deptford 13 kV | New Jersey | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Essex 230 kV | New Jersey | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Huron 69 kV | New Jersey | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Kearny | New Jersey | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Linden 230 kV | New Jersey | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Mickleton 230 kV | New Jersey | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Red Oak 230 kV | New Jersey | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Sussex | New Jersey | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Ahoskie 34.5 kV | North Carolina | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Buckskin 69 kV | Ohio | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Tait 69 kV | Ohio | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Hatfield 500 kV | Pennsylvania | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| South Bend 500 kV | Pennsylvania | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Edgemoor | Pennsylvania / Delaware | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Axton 138 kV | Virginia | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Four Rivers 230 kV | Virginia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Hopewell 230 kV | Virginia | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Hopewell-Surry 230 kV | Virginia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| North Anna 500 kV | Virginia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Oak Hall | Virginia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Questions to answer before advancing a PJM queue position
- Which study results does your cost allocation rest on, and which of them depend on requests that could still withdraw?
- Which network upgrades are shared with other requests, and what happens to your share if those requests leave?
- Under the current tariff, what is at risk if you continue, and what is forfeited if you withdraw now?
- Which unknowns could change the answer, who owns each one, and when will it be resolved?
Related reading
Weighing whether to advance a PJM queue position?
Bring the decision, and get back a management-ready decision record: what is verified, what is assumed, what is still unknown, and what to do next.
Bring One Live DecisionSources
- PJM Inside Lines, “Over 800 New Generation Projects Seek To Connect Under PJM’s Reformed Process,” April 29, 2026
- PJM Inside Lines, “PJM Completes Interconnection Reform Transition Cycle 1 Studies,” September 22, 2025
- PJM, “Cycle 01 Application Requirements and NextGen Process,” Interconnection Process Subcommittee, January 2026
- PJM Manual 14H: New Service Requests Cycle Process
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Queued Up: 2026 Edition (CC BY 4.0)
Facts checked September 16, 2026. Process rules and queue data change; the governing tariff, manuals and study documents control any live project.