More than 800 generating projects totaling 220 GW have entered the PJM Interconnection’s reformed interconnection process, the grid operator said Wednesday.

Projects entering the interconnection queue include 106 GW of gas-fired generation, 67 GW of storage, 18 GW of nuclear, 15 GW of solar, 9 GW solar-storage hybrid and 5 GW of wind, according to PJM.

Under its new interconnection study process, PJM expects to complete its reviews of the projects in one to two years, depending on the project. PJM will use an AI-enabled tool developed by Google’s Tapestry to help review the applications more quickly and efficiently, the grid operator said.

PJM effectively closed its interconnection queue in 2022 so it could study backlogged projects. In the meantime, it shifted to a cluster-study process that imposes tougher financial and other standards on applicants in an effort to reduce speculative projects that have little chance of being built.

“PJM’s reopened queue promises to be smaller, stricter, and more actionable — and that is by design,” Maria Scheller, vice president at ICF International, said in a LinkedIn post. “From a system perspective, that may finally allow the interconnection process to do what it was always meant to do — send a credible signal about what can be built, where, and at what cost.” 

A clean energy trade group heralded PJM’s announcement.

“Reopening the queue is a welcome sign of progress, and our industry is eager to see whether PJM is able to study and connect new energy projects more quickly going forward,” Jon Gordon, a senior director at Advanced Energy United, said in a press release.

But PJM warned in the same announcement that signing an interconnection agreement doesn’t mean a project will get built. 

Since 2020, PJM and project developers have signed interconnection agreements totaling 103 GW, but many of these projects “are either not being built at all or are being slowed by hurdles such as state permitting and supply chain backlogs,” PJM said.

“PJM is working with stakeholders in the public and private sectors to help projects get built once they clear PJM’s process and to manage the reliable integration of data centers while new generation resources are being developed,” the grid operator added.