I am grateful for the reporting in your article (“Maryland officials sound alarm on data centers’ $100 billion power grid suck,”Oct. 23, 2025) that highlighted the immensity of the projected increase in peak energy demand over the next five years: 32 gigawatts — 30 of which are for data centers — or the equivalent of adding five Marylands.

This forecast by PJM Interconnection, our regional grid operator, means that PJM needs to bring many energy projects online quickly to meet demand.

Unfortunately, PJM’s queue of energy projects awaiting approval is backlogged. Projects spend years in limbo, ready and waiting to be connected to the grid. A majority of these are renewable energy projects.

Illogically, the Reliability Resource Initiative, PJM’s process to bypass the queue and fast-track projects for approval to improve energy reliability, continues to favor fossil fuel projects even though they are slower to build than clean energy ones.

In May of this year, PJM approved 51 projects for new or expanded (uprated) peak energy supply; fossil fuel projects account for 69% of that peak energy supply.

PJM’s clear favoritism of fossil fuel projects is costing ratepayers more — in direct hits to our pocketbooks as well as in worsened pollution and the associated climate impacts.

We must call on Gov. Wes Moore to pressure PJM to reform its queue process and clear out its backlog of clean energy projects as the energy demand skyrockets. The clean energy transition is ready to go, if PJM will allow it.

Katie Little, Baltimore

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