PJM’s market monitor urges FERC to review Amazon data center’s effect on costs, reliability

Core Insights - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is reviewing a transmission service agreement between PECO Energy and Amazon Data Services, amid concerns about the impact of data centers on electricity costs for consumers [3][6] - The agreement includes provisions to protect utility customers from potential costs associated with the construction of a new data center in Falls Township, Pennsylvania [4][5] - The outcome of FERC's review could have significant regulatory implications for large load customers across the U.S. and may influence the Trump administration's objectives in the AI sector [5] Company and Industry Summary - PECO Energy has requested FERC's approval for a transmission service agreement that details how Amazon will cover costs for necessary grid upgrades to support the new data center [3] - The agreement includes various protections, such as obligations for customer facility readiness and shortfall payments if the data center's usage does not meet revenue commitments [5] - Monitoring Analytics, PJM's market monitor, has raised concerns that the agreement does not adequately address how the new data center could affect energy and capacity costs for retail customers, estimating that existing and planned data centers contributed $16.6 billion of the $30.8 billion in revenue from PJM's last two capacity auctions [6]