Regional grid operator PJM Interconnection says it authorized more than 750 electric transmission improvement projects last year costing more than $5 billion to prepare for massive shifts in the way power is produced in the region.
PJM, which is based in Valley Forge, said the unprecedented switch from older coal-burning power plants in Appalachia to new natural-gas and renewable energy projects is driving the need to reconfigure the grid to maintain a reliable electricity supply. The projects are outlined in a 1,000-page report on transmission planning.
