ER27-454-000 · 2026-11-09 · PJM
Proposed Amendments to the Reliability Backstop Procurement; Request for Waiver
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PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.
2750 Monroe Blvd.
Audubon, PA 19403
Chenchao Lu
Associate General Counsel
(610) 500-3245
chenchao.lu@pjm.com
November 9, 2026
The Honorable Debbie-Anne A. Reese
Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20426-0001
Re:
PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., Docket No. ER27-____-000
Proposed Amendments to the Reliability Backstop Procurement
Request for Waiver of Tariff Attachment DD, Sections 16.2 and 16.3
Dear Secretary Reese:
Pursuant to section 205 of the Federal Power Act (“FPA”),1 the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission’s (“Commission”) Regulations,2 PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.
(“PJM”) hereby submits proposed revisions to the PJM Open Access Transmission Tariff
(“Tariff”) that updates the Reliability Backstop Procurement (“RBP”) rules to address,
inter alia, issues identified in the Commission’s September 29 Order.3 Specifically, this
filing proposes modifications to establish just and reasonable rules to (i) allocate
responsibility for RBP Charges to certain Load Serving Entities (“LSE”); (ii) require LSEs
responsible for RBP Charges to post an appropriate level of credit; and (iii) provide notice
to LSEs exiting PJM of their continuing responsibility for RBP Charges allocated to them
through the remainder of the RBP commitment term.4 This FPA section 205 filing is
1 16 U.S.C. § 824d.
2 18 C.F.R. part 35.
3 PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 (2026) (“September 29 Order”).
4 For the purpose of this filing, capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the meaning as contained in
the PJM Tariff, Amended and Restated Operating Agreement, the Reliability Assurance Agreement Among
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substantively identical to the October 29, 2026 filing submitted in Docket No. ER27-330-
000,5 but merely updates the eTariff metadata code to reflect this filing as a FPA section
205 filing rather than a compliance filing.6
PJM requests that most of the proposed revisions become effective on February 28,
2027—the same effective date for the RBP rules the Commission accepted in the
September 29 Order.7 However, because PJM is proposing certain pre-conduct of RBP
activities from Electric Distributors, PJM has proposed one Tariff record to be effective
January 29, 2027, which is 60 days from the date of the October 29 Fling. PJM is also
requesting that the Commission issue an order on all aspects of this filing no later than
January 29, 2027, to facilitate conduct of the RBP and provide participants the advance
notice necessary for the efficient administration of the RBP.
Given that this filing is substantively identical to the October 29 Filing in Docket
No. ER27-330-000, the deadline for comments and interventions should continue to be
November 30, 2026, which is 21-days from the date of this filing and the same comment
deadline that the Commission previously noticed.8 Even accounting for the intervening
holidays, issuance of an order by January 29, 2027, would still leave the Commission with
approximately 60 days following the close of the comment period to consider the record
Load Serving Entities in the PJM Region (“RAA”), and the PJM RBP filing under Docket No. ER26-3380-
000. See PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., Reliability Backstop Procurement to Address Resource Adequacy
Concerns Stemming from Large Loads, Docket No. ER26-3380-000 (July 31, 2026) (“July 31 Filing”).
5 PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., Proposed Amendments to the Reliability Backstop Procurement Request for
Waiver of Tariff Attachment DD, Sections 16.2 and 16.3, Docket Nos. ER27-330-000, -001 (Oct. 29, 2026)
(“October 29 Filing”).
6 PJM will withdraw the filing in Docket No. ER26-330-000.
7 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 1.
8 PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., Combined Notice of Filings #1, Docket No. ER27-330-000 (November 2,
2026).
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and act on the filing. However, the Commission should not feel constrained to wait until
January 29, 2027, to issue an order on the proposed RBP rules, but should feel free to issue
an order whenever it feels appropriate before January 29, 2027.
In addition, through this filing, PJM also conditionally requests waiver of the
requirement in Tariff, Attachment DD, section 16.2 for PJM to “investigate the cause for
the shortage, and recommend corrective action”9 in the event the 2029/2030 Base Residual
Auction clears short of the reliability requirement. Likewise, should the 2029/2030
Delivery Year Base Residual Auction clear short, resulting in three consecutive Delivery
Years with insufficient capacity procurement, PJM conditionally requests waiver of the
requirement in Tariff, Attachment DD, section 16.3 that PJM “declare a capacity shortage
and make a filing with FERC for approval to conduct a Reliability Backstop Auction”
following three consecutive Delivery Years in which the Base Residual Auction clears
short. As discussed below in Part IV, the Commission should grant this one-time,
prospective waiver.
I.
BACKGROUND
On July 31, 2026, PJM filed a comprehensive proposal to establish the RBP, a
targeted, one-time procurement mechanism designed to address emerging resource
adequacy challenges driven principally by the rapid growth of Large Loads and the
resulting acceleration of capacity needs across the PJM Region.10 In its September 29
Order, the Commission accepted PJM’s proposed RBP framework, but suspended the
Tariff revisions for a period of five months and established additional procedures to further
9 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 16.2.
10 See July 31 Filing.
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examine three discrete aspects of the proposal: cost allocation, Transmission Owner exit
provisions, and LSE collateral requirements.11 While the Commission initiated a paper
hearing and a related proceeding under section 206 of the FPA to develop a more complete
record regarding those issues, it also expressly and strongly encouraged PJM to submit, an
alternative proposal pursuant to its FPA section 205 filing rights to address the concerns
identified in the order.12
PJM submits this section 205 filing in accordance with the Commission’s guidance
from the September 29 Order. The revisions proposed herein are carefully tailored to
address the specific issues identified by the Commission while preserving the fundamental
structure and policy objectives of the RBP framework that the Commission otherwise
accepted in the September 29 Order.13 Consistent with the Commission’s direction, this
filing presents targeted modifications to the RBP’s cost allocation, exit responsibilities, and
collateral provisions that are intended to resolve the Commission’s remaining areas of
concern, strengthen the overall design of the RBP, and facilitate timely implementation of
a mechanism that is needed to address pressing reliability and resource adequacy risks. By
narrowing the issues in dispute and building upon the framework that the Commission has
11 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 24.
12 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 28.
13 While 18 CFR § 35.17(d) generally prohibits amendments to tariff sections that are in suspension, good
cause exists for PJM to request a waiver of 18 CFR § 35.17(d) to the extent necessary given that the
Commission “strongly encourage[d] PJM to address the issues discussed in the [RBP] order by submitting
an alternative proposal pursuant to its FPA section 205 filing rights without delay.” September 29 Order at
P 28. Updating the relevant suspended tariff sheets promotes administrative efficiency as it allows PJM to
address the discrete issues raised by the Commission in its September 29 Order without delay through this
section 205 filing. Further, “[t]he Commission has stated that the purpose behind section 35.17 is to limit
instances in which the Commission and the utility’s customers must confront and evaluate a ‘moving target’
of rate levels designed to avoid the consequences of a maximum suspension period.” W. Tex. Util. Co., 30
FERC ¶ 61,292 (1985). Here, the Commission issued an abeyance of the paper hearing stemming from
Docket No. ER26-3380-000 that placed the relevant tariff records in suspension so no such moving target
exists.
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already found generally just and reasonable, this filing will promote administrative
efficiency, reduce regulatory uncertainty, and enable PJM to move forward with the RBP
on an expedited basis.14 Through this section 205 filing, PJM has addressed the issues set
for paper hearing in the September 29 Order.
PJM respectfully submits that each aspect of the filing is just and reasonable.
Nevertheless, to facilitate prompt Commission action and avoid further delay in the
implementation of the RBP, PJM consents to the Commission’s exercise of its authority,
to the extent permitted under section 205 of the FPA and NRG Power Marketing, LLC v.
FERC,15 to modify, reject, or sever discrete elements of the proposed Tariff revisions while
accepting the remainder of the filing. Such an approach, if deemed necessary by the
Commission, would preserve the benefits of the proposed reforms and support the timely
commencement of the RBP.
II.
PROPOSED UPDATES THAT ADDRESS ISSUES IDENTIFIED IN THE
COMMISSION’S SEPTEMBER 29 ORDER
A.
PJM Proposes Updates that Directly Address the Commission’s RBP Cost
Allocation Concerns.
Under FPA section 205, cost allocation must be grounded in the principle that costs
are assigned to those who cause them or benefit from the facilities and services provided.16
At the same time, courts have long recognized that cost causation is not a standard of
14 The pieces of the RBP that are not proposed to be modified through this filing are not further discussed in
this filing given that the Commission accepted all of the proposed RBP rules in its September 29 Order. To
the extent necessary, the Commission may take administrative notice of PJM’s initial RBP filing in Docket
No. ER26-3380-000.
15 NRG Power Mktg., LLC v. FERC, 862 F.3d 108, 114-15 (D.C. Cir. 2017).
16 E.g., Pub. Serv. Elec. & Gas Co. v. FERC, 989 F.3d 10, 13 (D.C. Cir. 2021) (The Commission “has long
viewed the just-and-reasonable requirement” under FPA section 205 “to incorporate a cost-causation
principle.” (internal quotation marks and citation omitted)); Ill. Com. Comm’n v. FERC, 576 F.3d 470, 476
(7th Cir. 2009).
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mathematical precision. Indeed, courts have long recognized that “it would no doubt be
impossible, even if desirable, to formulate a rate scheme with such precision that each
customer—or even customer group—is made to bear the exact cost of the service he
received.”17 Therefore, costs need not be “allocate[d] . . . with exacting precision.”18
Rather, they need only “be allocated in a manner that is roughly commensurate with the
benefits received.”19 Consistent with this standard, the Commission possesses broad
discretion to evaluate whether a proposed cost allocation reasonably aligns cost
responsibility with causation and benefits.20
As an initial matter, the Commission largely agreed with the foundational premise
of PJM’s proposed RBP cost allocation methodology: the costs of procuring new capacity
to address reliability concerns arising from large load growth should be assigned to the
zone/areas experiencing that growth. Specifically, the Commission’s September 29 Order
explained that:
allocating RBP costs to Electric Distributor zone/areas based on a
“snapshot” of load growth between 2026/2027 and 2028/2029,
adjusted down by qualifying offset capacity, may be just and
reasonable, because it reasonably assigns costs to those responsible
for the near-term capacity shortfall. Thus, such zone/areas benefit
from procurement of new resources to fill this urgent gap. We
generally find that PJM’s proposal to initially assign RBP costs to
Electric Distributor zone/areas, with the ultimate cost allocation to
the LSEs as determined by the state and/or [Relevant Electric Retail
Regulatory Authority (“RERRA”)] and as reported to the Electric
17 Ala. Elec. Coop., Inc. v. FERC, 684 F.2d 20, 28 (D.C. Cir. 1982); see also Sithe/Indep. Power Partners,
L.P. v. FERC, 285 F.3d 1, 5 (D.C. Cir. 2002) (explaining the Court has consistently upheld rates based on
cost-causation principles as applied in Alabama Electric Cooperative).
18 Ill. Com. Comm’n, 576 F.3d at 477 (quoting Midwest ISO Transmission Owners v. FERC, 373 F.3d 1361,
1369 (D.C. Cir. 2004)).
19 City Util. of Springfield v. FERC, 185 F.4th 1262, 1271 (D.C. Cir. 2026) (internal quotation marks and
alteration omitted).
20 City Util. of Springfield, 185 F.4th at 1273.
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Distributor by PJM, may be just and reasonable, as it reflects the
authority of PJM under the Tariff and respects the authority of the
states and/or RERRAs.21
The Commission’s concerns were therefore not directed at the underlying cost
allocation to the zone/area. Rather, the Commission questioned whether PJM’s use of Load
Adjustment data provided the most accurate means of identifying the Large Load growth
that is driving the need for the RBP.22 More particularly, the Commission was concerned
with “relying on Load Adjustments to measure load growth [because that] may be
inconsistent or not reasonably capture forecasted load growth or actual large load
growth.”23 That is, some large loads may be reflected in PJM’s underlying load forecast
rather than in the incremental Load Adjustments used in PJM’s initial proposal.24
Consequently, the Commission was concerned that the use of the Load Adjustment delta
“could lead to the costs imposed on certain entities not being at least roughly commensurate
with the benefits they will receive from the procurement.”25
This filing directly addresses the Commission’s concern by allocating the “RBP
costs to the Electric Distributor zone/areas with the reported new load that is driving the
need for the procurement.”26 Specifically, rather than relying on Load Adjustment data as
a proxy for Large Load growth, PJM is proposing to require Electric Distributors outside
21 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 154.
22 PJM is utilizing the recently accepted definition of Large Load to capture only those loads that are end-use
customer load that has a cumulative peak load of 50 MW or greater at a single electrical site behind one or
more points of interconnection.
23 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 154.
24 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 155.
25 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 155.
26 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 159.
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of a Fixed Resource Requirement (“FRR”) Service Area to report, by no later than seven
days prior to the commencement of the RBP, the aggregate incremental peak Large Load
growth between the 2026 actual summer peak and the 2028/2029 Delivery Year expected
summer peak to PJM.27 This updated approach will better align cost responsibility with
the specific Large Load growth that necessitates the RBP while preserving the cost-
allocation framework that the Commission otherwise found to be just and reasonable.
1.
Requiring Electric Distributors to report the Large Load increase
between 2026 and the expected 2028/2029 Delivery Year will allow
RBP cost allocation to all incremental Large Loads.
Requiring each Electric Distributor to report the aggregate incremental Large Load
growth between the 2026 actual summer peak and the 2028/2029 Delivery Year expected
summer peak is consistent with Commission precedent.28 Indeed, Electric Distributors
already report actual and forecasted peak loads to PJM today. This proposal merely
requires Electric Distributors to provide a more granular subset of information relating
specifically to Large Load growth. Under this proposal, each Electric Distributor outside
an FRR Service Area will be required to report the aggregate incremental quantity of Large
Load, where the Large Load quantity for each load is calculated as the difference between:
(1) the actual summer peak load associated with the Large Load in 2026; and (2) the
expected summer peak load associated with Large Load for the 2028/2029 Delivery Year.29
27 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.3A.
28 See PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 197 FERC ¶ 61,019, at PP 48-50 (2026); see also PJM Interconnection,
L.L.C., 188 FERC ¶ 61,200, at P 40 & n.65 (2024) (finding that an “Electric Distributor is the party with the
distribution and metering facilities defining a zone/area and responsible for reporting load information to
PJM,” and also noting that, “under the current framework, each LSE already reports their peak load
contribution to the Electric Distributor, which is the entity ultimately responsible for reporting that
information to PJM”).
29 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.3A.
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Additionally, Electric Distributors will be required to report the identity of the Large Load
that is supported by an electric service obligation, construction commitment, or equivalent
agreement.30 Because Electric Distributors maintain the direct distribution and metering
relationships associated with these loads and already serve as PJM’s primary source of
zonal load information, they are uniquely and aptly positioned to provide the most accurate
and comprehensive information regarding incremental Large Load growth.
Consistent with PJM’s load forecasting process, the expected quantity of Large
Load for the 2028/2029 Delivery Year reported under this proposal should largely align
with the information the Electric Distributor previously provided to PJM for development
of the applicable load forecast. However, because Large Load development is dynamic,
circumstances may change after submission of forecast data and before the reporting of
Large Load values for purposes of establishing the Reliability Pricing Model (“RPM”)
procurement targets. This could potentially include new Large Loads that are now
expected to be online by the 2028/2029 Delivery Year that may not have previously been
expected at the time PJM developed the load forecast. Conversely, there could be electric
service agreements with Large Loads that are canceled between the time Electric
Distributors initially reported the data as part of PJM’s load forecast process and when the
Electric Distributors report expected Large Loads for RBP purposes. In either case, the
proposal requires an Electric Distributor to “provide an explanation for any deviation
between the expected quantity of Large Loads for the 2028/2029 Delivery Year and the
values provided by the Electric Distributor to [PJM] as part of the development for the load
30 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.3A.
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forecast.”31 As always, PJM maintains the ability to refer Electric Distributors to the
Commission’s Office of Enforcement in the event the reported information is significantly
different from what the Electric Distributor reported as part of PJM’s load forecast
development process and such deviations are not sufficiently explained. This requirement
safeguards against potential incorrect submissions while allowing PJM to rely on the most
current available information.
The proposed approach also satisfies the Commission’s cost-causation standards
because it assigns costs in a manner that is roughly commensurate with the benefits
received.32 Cost causation requires that “all approved rates reflect to some degree the costs
actually caused by the customer who must pay them.”33 Indeed, as the courts have held,
“nothing requires the Commission to ensure full or perfect cost causation,”34 and the
Commission “is not bound to reject any rate mechanism that tracks the cost causation
principle less than perfectly.”35
Here, the data reported by Electric Distributors represent the most practical and
administratively feasible measure of incremental Large Load growth for purposes of
establishing a cost allocation approach that will assign costs to the zone/areas where the
31 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.3A.
32 Ill. Com. Comm’n, 576 F.3d at 477 (requiring “an articulable and plausible reason to believe that the
benefits are at least roughly commensurate with [the costs]”); Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation by
Transmission Owning and Operating Public Utilities, Order No. 1000, 136 FERC ¶ 61,051, at PP 622, 639
(2011) (requiring costs of regional transmission facilities to be allocated in a manner that is at least roughly
commensurate with estimated benefits), order on reh’g & clarification, Order No. 1000-A, 139 FERC
¶ 61,132, order on reh’g & clarification, Order No. 1000-B, 141 FERC ¶ 61,044 (2012), aff’d sub nom., S.C.
Pub. Serv. Auth. v. FERC, 762 F.3d 41 (D.C. Cir. 2014) (“South Carolina PSA”).
33 K N Energy v. FERC, 968 F.2d 1295, 1300 (D.C. Cir. 1992) (emphasis added); see also Midwest ISO
Transmission Owners, 373 F.3d at 1368 (quoting K N Energy, 968 F.2d at 1300)).
34 South Carolina PSA, 762 F.3d at 88.
35 Sithe/Indep. Power Partners, 285 F.3d at 5.
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incremental Large Loads will be located. While no cost allocation methodology can
achieve perfect precision, the Commission has repeatedly recognized that feasibility
considerations are relevant and that cost-causation principles need only be applied in a
reasonably accurate and practical manner.36 By relying on Electric Distributor’s reported
incremental Large Load growth at the zonal or area level, the proposal tracks the costs
associated with emerging Large Load demand to the most granular level that is reasonably
feasible and therefore satisfies the Commission’s cost-causation requirements.
To be clear, the information required under this proposal will initially be reported
separately from the Large Load Registry that the Commission recently accepted because
the information required from the Electric Distributors serves a different purpose.
Specifically, the reporting requirement here is targeted to quantify incremental Large Load
growth between 2026 and the 2028/2029 Delivery Year for purposes of establishing the
Initial RBP Target. Nonetheless, to the extent appropriate, certain information submitted
through this process may ultimately be incorporated into the Large Load Registry.
2.
RBP costs will be allocated to the zone/areas associated with
incremental Large Loads.
Based on information provided by Electric Distributors, PJM will allocate the
Initial RBP Target among Electric Distributor zone/areas in proportion to each zone/area’s
share of the total incremental Large Load growth. PJM will then reduce a zone/area’s
allocated share to the extent PJM receives the requisite evidence, as detailed in Tariff,
36 South Carolina PSA, 762 F.3d at 88; Midwest ISO Transmission Owners, 373 F.3d at 1368-69; Pub. Serv.
Comm’n of Wis. v. FERC, 545 F.3d 1058, 1066-67 (D.C. Cir. 2008); Carnegie Nat. Gas Co. v. FERC, 968
F.2d 1291, 1293-94 (D.C. Cir. 1992) (noting that, in the section of the Natural Gas Act likened to FPA section
205, there is “no requirement in the Act itself that rates precisely match cost causation and responsibility”
and that instead “the Commission may rationally emphasize other, competing policies and approve measures
that do not best match cost responsibility and causation”).
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Attachment DD, section 18.2(c),37 of new capacity in the form of Qualifying RBP Offset
UCAP MW that is the subject of a bilateral agreement with a Large Load.38 In addition,
to the extent an Electric Distributor requests, with the required accompanying support
pursuant to Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.1(d), that the Initial RBP Target be
decremented to reflect the associated MW quantity of load participating in a qualifying
Peak Shaving Adjustment program, the Initial RBP Target may be further reduced.39 After
accounting for all Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW and any applicable Peak Shaving
Adjustment opt-out, PJM will determine each zone/area’s adjusted incremental Large Load
quantity. That quantity, floored at zero, will serve as the basis for calculating the
zone/area’s pro rata share of the Final RBP Target MW. Ms. Danielle Croop, PJM’s senior
manager of market design, provides a detailed example that demonstrates how the RBP
obligations will be allocated to each Electric Distributor’s zone/area.40
This approach is consistent with the Commission’s determination that “[a]llocating
RBP costs based on a snapshot of this shortfall over the term of the RBP commitment
period may provide greater certainty to the LSEs in the Electric Distributor zone/areas
ultimately bearing responsibility for those costs.”41 Accordingly, PJM proposes to
continue using a snapshot of incremental Large Load growth between the 2026 summer
peak and the forecasted summer peak for the 2028/2029 Delivery Year to establish each
37 Specifically, evidence of Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW must include signed bilateral contracts with
Large Loads for at least five Delivery Years with a commercial operation date prior to the start of the
2032/2033 Delivery Year as further detailed in Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.2(c).
38 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.2(c).
39 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.1(d).
40 Affidavit of Danielle Croop on Behalf of PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (Attachment D) ¶¶ 19-27 (“Croop
Aff.”).
41 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 156.
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zone/area’s share of the Final RBP Target MW. That allocation to the zone/area will
remain fixed throughout the 15-year RBP commitment period. Maintaining a fixed
allocation to the zone/area promotes certainty, provides transparent cost responsibility at
the outset of the commitment period, and avoids repeated reallocation of costs to different
zone/areas during the term of the RBP Resource commitment.
3.
PJM will further allocate RBP Charges to relevant LSEs in the
zone/areas with incremental Large Loads.
PJM is retaining the mechanism through which RBP Charges may be more
granularly allocated to LSEs within an Electric Distributor’s zone/area. As noted, above,
the September 29 Order held that “the ultimate cost allocation to the LSEs as determined
by the state and/or RERRA and as reported to the Electric Distributor . . . may be just and
reasonable[.]”42 Specifically, RBP Charges may be allocated based on “the state and/or
RERRA-determined allocation of cleared RBP UCAP MW to LSEs within each Electric
Distributor’s zone/area, as reported by each Electric Distributor to [PJM].”43 Likewise,
PJM is maintaining the term, “RBP Obligation” or “RBO” to provide flexibility for states
and/or RERRAs to further determine which retail customers should be allocated RBP
Charges.44
The RBO framework provides states and RERRAs, through the relevant Electric
Distributors, with flexibility to determine how cost responsibility for RBP Resources
should be allocated among LSEs serving load within a zone/area. To facilitate more
42 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 154.
43 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.3(b)(iii).
44 Tariff, Part 1, Definitions – R-S, RBP Obligation (‘“RBP Obligation’ or ‘RBO’ shall mean the state and/or
RERRA-determined allocation of RBP UCAP MW to Load Serving Entities within each Electric
Distributor’s zone/area.”).
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targeted cost allocation, an Electric Distributor may report to PJM an RBO allocation
identifying the RBP UCAP MW assigned to individual LSEs in the zone/area. Where an
RBO is reported, PJM will allocate the daily RBP Charges to each LSE based on its
proportionate share of the reported RBO MW. In this way, states and RERRAs may direct
relevant Electric Distributors to report RBO so that RBP costs can more precisely be
allocated to the LSEs serving the Large Loads that drive the need for the RBP Resources.
Electric Distributors electing to provide RBO allocations must submit the initial
allocation no later than 120 days before the start of the 2028/2029 Delivery Year.45 PJM
proposes this deadline to allow sufficient time for the calculation and communication of
each affected LSE’s credit requirements before collateral must be posted. PJM has
advanced this deadline from the 60-day period proposed in the July 31 Filing to provide
LSEs with additional notice regarding their potential credit obligations and adequate time
to arrange and post collateral. Importantly, the 120-day reporting deadline serves solely to
establish the initial allocation sufficiently in advance of the commencement of the
2028/2029 Delivery Year. That is, Electric Distributors do not have a continuing obligation
to report RBO to PJM by a certain deadline prior to the commencement of a subsequent
Delivery Year after the 2028/2029 Delivery Year. Rather, Electric Distributors may report
updates to the RBO any time after the start of the 2028/2029 Delivery Year to reflect
changes to the initial allocation. This may occur, as an example, if a Large Load switches
LSEs after the initial RBO is reported to PJM.
45 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.3(b)(iii).
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PJM must be able to settle RBP Charges regardless of whether an Electric
Distributor submits an RBO allocation. Accordingly, if no RBO MW are reported for a
zone/area, PJM will apply a backstop allocation methodology based on the existing
methodology for allocating capacity costs pursuant to RAA, Schedule 8.46 Under this
approach, if no allocation is reported by the relevant Electric Distributors with allocated
RBP UCAP MW, PJM will allocate RBP Charges among LSEs in the relevant zone/area
using each LSE’s proportional Daily Unforced Capacity Obligation. This fallback
methodology allows PJM to calculate and settle wholesale charges among its jurisdictional
customers even in the absence of state- or RERRA-directed RBO allocations.
4.
The proposed allocation methodology respects the federal-state
jurisdictional boundary; cost allocation to retail customers,
including data centers, is within the states’ and/or RERRAs’
purview.
The proposed methodology also appropriately respects the longstanding division of
jurisdiction between PJM and the states. As the Commission recognized, “states determine
how Commission-approved rates are collected among the relevant retail consumers along
with the rates for state-jurisdictional matters.”47 Consistent with that principle, PJM’s
proposal governs only the allocation of RBP Charges among wholesale market
participants, specifically the LSEs responsible for paying those charges.
46 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.3(b)(iii) (“If no RBO MW are reported to the Office of the
Interconnection for an Electric Distributor zone/area, PJM will allocate the RBP Charges for that zone/area
to all load in the zone/area using each LSE’s ratio share of the Daily Unforced Capacity Obligation for the
zone/area as determined in RAA, Schedule 8. PJMSettlement shall be the Counterparty to each LSE’s
obligation to pay, and payments of, RBP Charges.”).
47 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 161 (quoting PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 195 FERC
¶ 61,211, at P 69 (2026)).
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PJM does not propose, and lacks authority, to dictate how any LSE subsequently
allocates or recovers those costs from retail customers. Thus, even where PJM applies its
default LSE-level allocation methodology because no RBO has been reported, PJM would
not determine how costs are ultimately assigned among retail customers served by those
LSEs. In this way, the proposed approach appropriately allocates wholesale cost
responsibility while preserving the ability of states and RERRAs to determine how those
costs should be reflected at the retail level. In short, the proposal maintains a framework
through which states and RERRAs may, if they choose, direct RBP costs more precisely
to the specific Large Load retail customers whose load growth drives the need for the
underlying RBP Resources.
B.
Credit Requirements of LSEs Commensurate with Risks (Proposed Tariff,
Attachment DD, Section 18.8).
PJM is proposing revisions to the LSE credit rules in Tariff, Attachment DD,
section 18.8(b) that the Commission accepted, subject to refund and further procedures, in
the September 29 Order.
In the July 31 Filing, and as accepted subject to the outcome of a paper hearing,
PJM proposed to establish an initial RBP Credit Rate of $1.5 million per committed RBP
UCAP MW, which would collateralize approximately 50% of the (up to) 15-year
contractual payment obligation to the committed RBP Resources. The Commission
identified several issues that, “[t]aken together,” led the Commission to find that PJM’s
initial RBP LSE credit rules may be unjust and unreasonable.48 Specifically, the
Commission indicated that PJM did not adequately support the level of RBP Charges that
48 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 205.
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PJM asserted needed to be collateralized “with any quantitative measures, including an
expected probability of default, a loss-given-default assumption, a historical LSE default
experience, a liquidation or replacement period, or any other quantitative measure.”49 The
Commission also found that PJM’s proposed LSE credit rules provided LSEs “little
flexibility . . . to manage their collateral requirements, including a short timeline for
[learning of] and posting collateral and limited, acceptable forms of collateral.”50 Thus,
the Commission held that PJM did not demonstrate that its proposed approach struck “a
reasonable balance . . . against the risk of default and ensuring market participants have
adequate flexibility to manage their collateral requirements.”51
PJM has re-evaluated its initial proposal in light of the Commission’s guidance and
developed a new RBP Credit Rate along with revisions to other aspects of the LSE credit
rules to provide LSEs greater flexibility. PJM proposes five broad changes to the RBP
LSE credit rules:
(1) establish, using objective data, a revised uniform credit rate, based on
quantitative analyses, for LSEs allocated responsibility for RBP Charges to post
collateral;52
(2) lengthen the timeframe from when an LSE is assigned responsibility for RBP
Charges before a Delivery Year to the time by which collateral must be
posted;53
(3) broaden the instruments that may be used to provide collateral to include surety
bonds in addition to Letters of Credit and cash;54
49 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 205.
50 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 205.
51 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 205.
52 See proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(B).
53 See proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.3(b)(iii) and proposed Tariff, Attachment DD,
section 18.8(b)(i)(B).
54 See proposed Tariff, Part 1, Definitions – R-S, RBP Collateral.
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(4) memorialize a commitment to review the RBP Credit Rate used to determine
the credit requirement for LSEs assigned responsibility for RBP Charges;55 and
(5) clarify that an LSE’s payment obligations for committed RBP Resources, i.e.,
both RBP Charges and associated RPM capacity payments will not be
considered in determining such LSE’s Peak Market Activity.56
As discussed below, these revisions offer an approach that strikes “a reasonable balance
between protecting PJM’s markets and its members against the risk of default and ensuring
that market participants have adequate flexibility to manage their collateral
requirements.”57
1.
PJM is proposing a revised RBP Credit Rate, determined using
objective, quantitative analyses, for LSEs allocated responsibility
for RBP Charges.
a.
PJM derived the revised RBP Credit Rate based on an
economic analysis of quantitative and qualitative inputs.
The 15-year term of RBP commitments is markedly different from all other forward
payment obligations contemplated by PJM’s credit rules today. To address this credit risk
in a just and reasonable manner, PJM considered a number of different approaches with an
eye toward approaches that would minimize costs to LSEs and appropriately mitigate cost
of socialized default on PJM Members. Specifically, PJM considered credit approaches
that would provide more fluid and constant assessments of credit risk and vary the
collateral required, based on either new data as it becomes known (e.g., RPM Auction
clearing prices) or forecasts of variable data (e.g., RPM Auction clearing prices). But, as
Ms. Gwen Kelly explains, an approach based on forecasts would fail to adequately mitigate
55 See proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(A).
56 See proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8.
57 PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 186 FERC ¶ 61,055, at P 27 (2024).
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risk to Members as “PJM could be left with insufficient collateral to secure the LSE’s
payment obligations”58 because their efficacy would be dependent on the accuracy of
“forecasts of RPM clearing prices extending many years into the future.”59 Ultimately, as
proposed in this filing, PJM selected an approach that collateralizes the entire payment
obligation to an RBP Resource, i.e., both the BRP Charge (which is a contract for
difference) and the resource’s RPM capacity payment. As Ms. Kelly testifies, “PJM favors
a methodology that establishes meaningful credit protection based on long-term RBP
commitments rather than making that protection substantially dependent on forecasts of
future RPM clearing prices or on the ability to obtain additional collateral over time.”60
That is, PJM’s approach does not require forecasting of future RPM clearing prices or
annual adjustments based on the applicable RPM capacity payment for a given Delivery
Year. Rather, PJM is maintaining its initial approach of establishing a single credit
obligation applicable to the entire RBP payment obligation through application of a
uniform RBP Credit Rate for each RBP UCAP MW for which an LSE is assigned cost
responsibility.
However, PJM determined that its approach to determining the RBP Credit Rate
should be revisited. Ms. Kelly testifies that “PJM sought to identify the collateral
percentage at which the combined expected costs of posting collateral and socialized
default amounts are minimized.”61 Given that “[t]hese costs generally move in opposite
58 Affidavit of Gwen Kelly on Behalf of PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (Attachment C) ¶ 13 (“Kelly Aff.”).
59 Kelly Aff. ¶ 11.
60 Kelly Aff. ¶ 14.
61 Kelly Aff. ¶ 19.
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directions,”62 PJM “performed an economic analysis evaluating the cost of posting
collateral and the expected cost of socialized default amounts at different collateral levels,
expressed as percentages of the net present value of the total RBP payment obligation” to
determine the appropriate collateral percentage, i.e., the RBP Credit Rate.63 In performing
this economic analysis, PJM considered the following inputs: the weighted-average RBP
clearing price, the credit quality of the portfolio of LSEs active in PJM, the probability of
default, the loss given default, and the cost of posting collateral.64
Ms. Kelly details in her affidavit how PJM developed and considered these
quantitative and qualitative inputs.65 The results of PJM’s economic analysis is presented
in Table 1 below.
62 Kelly Aff. ¶ 18.
63 Kelly Aff. ¶ 22.
64 Kelly Aff. ¶ 23. Ms. Kelly also testifies that “PJM has used a discount rate of 9.5%, based on the capacity
market Weighted Average Cost of Capital developed by The Brattle Group as part of PJM’s 2025 periodic
review of the Cost of New Entry of Capacity Resources into the PJM Region. PJM considers this rate
appropriate for purposes of calculating the net present value of the total RBP payment obligation.” Kelly
Aff. ¶ 24.
65 See Kelly Aff. ¶¶ 25-38.
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Table 1: Cost of Socialized Default Amount
PJM then took these inputs to evaluate “the combined expected costs of posting collateral
and socialized default amounts at different collateral levels, expressed as percentages of
the discounted total RBP payment obligation.”66 Ms. Kelly explains that “the combined
cost of posting collateral and expected socialized default amounts is minimized at a
collateral level equal to 40% of the net present value of the total RBP payment
obligation,”67 as shown in Figure 1 below.
66 Kelly Aff. ¶ 39.
67 Kelly Aff. ¶ 40.
a) LSE Credit Ratings (weighted average)
BBB
b) Probability of Default
4.05%
c) Loss Given Default
100%
d) expected default %
2.4%
adjusted by the amount
posted to PJM
e) Defaulted Amount
$73,839 =$555 x 1 x 365 x 15 x 2.4%
f) Collateral Held
$29,535 =$73,839 x 40%
g) Socialized Amount (=Defaulted Amount- Collateral Held)
$44,303 =$73,839 - $29,535
h) Socialized Cost to Non Default LSEs
$45,407 =$44,303 / (1-2.4%)
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Figure 1: Optimal Collateralization
As Ms. Kelly explains, this 40% rate “does not represent the percentage of gross RBP
payments that PJM expects LSEs to pay through contract-for-differences settlements,”
rather, it represents the rate at which “the combined cost of posting collateral and expected
socialized default amounts” are minimized.68 Or stated another way, it is an economically
optimal rate.
In sum, following the Commission’s guidance in the September 29 Order,69 PJM
performed an economic analysis, that considered the qualitative measure of the credit
quality of the portfolio of LSEs active in PJM and the quantitative measure of probability
of default, the loss given default, and the cost of posting collateral. Based on such analysis,
68 Kelly Aff. ¶ 42.
69 See September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 205 (finding that PJM did not support the initial RBP
Credit Rate “with any quantitative measures, including an expected probably of default, a loss-given-default
assumption, a historical LSE default experience, a liquidation or replacement period, or any qualitative
measure”).
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PJM proposes to set the RBP Credit Rate at 40% of the net present value of the total RBP
payment obligation.70
Applying the proposed new RBP Credit Rate at an assumed weighted-average RBP
clearing price of $555/MW-day, Ms. Kelly finds that “the proposed methodology produces
an illustrative RBP Credit Rate of approximately $686,000 per MW. This amount is
equivalent to approximately 3.4 years of undiscounted RBP payments per MW.”71 This
represents a significant reduction from the $1.5 million/MW RBP Credit Rate PJM initially
proposed—a reduction in cost to post to affected LSEs which naturally results in a tradeoff
reduction in the collateral coverage that protects PJM Members against socialized default
amounts. Given that for the purposes of this example PJM assumed the weighted-average
RBP clearing price would be at maximum allowable value of $555/MW-day,72 the
illustrative RBP Credit Rate of approximately $686,000 per MW is the highest possible
RBP Credit Rate and would be lower to the extent the MW-weighted average of the
levelized procurement cost of all committed RBP Resources is less than $555/MW-day.
b.
Clarifying revisions for determining cumulative LSE RBP
Credit Requirement
As noted, PJM is retaining its initial structure of first determining the overall credit
requirement needed to address this risk at an aggregate level before then determining an
individual LSE’s RBP credit requirement. PJM will determine the cumulative LSE RBP
credit requirement equal to “the RBP Credit Rate (as determined in accordance with Tariff,
70 See proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(A). Ms. Kelly explains how PJM will determine
the net present value of the total RBP payment obligation. See Kelly Aff. ¶ 24.
71 Kelly Aff. ¶ 48.
72 See September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245, at P 74 (“[W]e find that using the $555/MW-day price cap
for the 2028/2029 BRA . . . is a reasonable proxy of load’s maximum willingness to pay for RBP capacity.”)
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Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(B)) multiplied by the committed RBP UCAP MW
amount.”73 That is, one uniform RBP Credit Rate will be applicable to all committed RBP
UCAP MW, and the cumulative RBP credit requirement for LSEs shall be met through
RBP Collateral posted by those LSEs with responsibility for RBP Charges pursuant to
Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.3.
However, PJM is proposing revisions to clarify that the committed RBP UCAP
MW for such purpose will be the “total amount of RBP UCAP MW that receives a
commitment through the Reliability Backstop Procurement and is supported by an RBP
Resource that has reached commercial operation by the start of the applicable Delivery
Year.”74 And, the committed RBP UCAP MW “shall exclude” any RBP UCAP MW that
is rescinded pursuant to Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.6(e).75 In other words, no
collateral would be required for RBP Resources not in service for that Delivery Year.
c.
Clarifying revisions regarding PJM’s return of excess
collateral
While the accepted Tariff provides that PJM will reduce the RBP Credit Rate “when
total posted RBP Collateral is greater than the total remaining RBP Charges obligations
over time by the Office of the Interconnection to an amount sufficient to cover the total
existing RBP Charges obligations,”76 PJM proposes to not change the RBP Credit Rate in
such instance. Rather, PJM proposes that “[w]hen total posted RBP Collateral is greater
than the total remaining RBP payment of obligations, the Office of the Interconnection will
73 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(A).
74 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(A).
75 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(A).
76 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(A).
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make available excess collateral, upon request by an applicable Load Serving Entity.”77
That is, PJM will only be holding collateral sufficient to cover about 3.4 years of remaining
RBP payment obligations (the sum of RBP Charges and RPM payments). Thus, as the
RBP commitment period carries on, the new approach affords PJM flexibility to release
excess collateral while maintaining sufficient collateral to mitigate against default risk.
d.
Clarifying revisions for the determination of the RBP LSE
credit requirement
PJM proposes to maintain its approach that the RBP credit requirement will follow
cost allocation for RBP Resources. Thus, only those LSEs allocated cost responsibility
will be assigned an RBP credit requirement and be required to post RBP Collateral, and
the RPM credit requirement will be based on the level of RBP UCAP MW for which an
LSE is allocated cost responsibility. In this manner, the RBP credit requirement is aligned
with cost allocation.
PJM is proposing new Tariff language to clarify the determination of an LSE’s RBP
credit requirement, which will still equal the product of (1) the uniform RBP Credit Rate;
and (2) the LSE’s allocated RBP UCAP MW amount, i.e., its Allocated RBP Credit MW.
First, reflective of PJM’s movement from a stated RBP Credit Rate to one based on a
percentage of the payment obligation, PJM is proposing to define RBP Credit Rate as “an
amount per MW equal to 40% of the discounted total RBP payment obligation per MW
over the applicable RBP commitment term, calculated using the weighted-average RBP
clearing price of all RBP UCAP MW committed through the RBP.”78 Second, for clarity
77 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(A).
78 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(B).
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and ease of understanding and application, PJM is defining “Allocated RBP Credit MW”
as “the amount of RBP UCAP MW, expressed in MW, for which the LSE has been
allocated responsibility for RBP Charges in accordance with Tariff, Attachment DD,
section 18.3 and as determined in accordance with this Tariff, Attachment DD,
section 18.8(b)(i)(B)(1) or (2), as appropriate.”79
Accepted sections 18.8(b)(i)(B)(1) and (2) detail how an LSE allocated cost
responsibility determine the amount of collateral they need to post. While PJM is not
proposing to change this structure, PJM is proposing some revisions to reflect the new RBP
Credit Rate and clarify the determination of an LSE’s Allocated RBP Credit MW. PJM is
also taking the opportunity to make some wordsmithing revisions for ease of
understanding.80 Specifically, PJM is clarifying that, in the event the LSE’s cost allocation
is determined through an RBO, PJM will determine its Allocated RBP Credit MW “based
on the relevant Load Serving Entity’s percent share of the zone/area’s RBP Obligation MW
assigned by the Electric Distributor,”81 instead of scaling the RBP Obligation MW “in the
event the total the RBP Obligation MW values uploaded by the Electric Distributor do not
sum to the fixed, Final RBP Target MW for the zone/area.”82
2.
PJM is proposing to lengthen the timeframe from when an LSE is
assigned responsibility for RBP Charges to the time by which
collateral must be posted from 15 days to 75 days.
PJM is proposing that LSEs be provided at least 75 days’ notice of their collateral
obligation prior to a given Delivery Year before the LSE must have the requisite RBP
79 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(B).
80 See proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(B)(1) and (2) (wordsmithing revisions).
81 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(B)(1).
82 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(B)(1).
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Collateral posted. That is, PJM is not changing the rule that LSEs must post RBP Collateral
at least 45 days before the start of a Delivery Year in which the LSE is allocated
responsibility for RBP Charges.83 Rather, as discussed above in Part II.A, PJM is
proposing that Electric Distributors report their initial RBP Obligation values to PJM at
least 120 days prior to the start of the 2028/2029 Delivery Year. PJM is not proposing to
change the rule that if no RBP Obligation is reported for an Electric Distributor zone/area,
then RBP Charges allocated to that zone/area will be assign to each LSE “using each LSE’s
ratio share of the Daily Unforced Capacity Obligation for the zone/area as determined in
RAA, Schedule 8.”84
Thus, each LSE will know no later than 120 days before the 2028/2029 Delivery
Year whether it will be assigned RBP Charges and if so, how much. Correspondingly, by
applying the uniform RBP Credit Rate to the MW underlying its assigned RBP Charges,
each LSE will also be able to easily determine its RBP Collateral requirement 120 days
before the start of the 2028/2029 Delivery Year. As such, LSEs will be afforded at least
75 days to post their RBP Collateral, providing LSEs greater flexibility to manage their
collateral requirements.
3.
PJM is proposing to broaden the forms of acceptable collateral to
include surety bonds.
In response to the Commission’s assertion that PJM’s initial LSE credit rules
errantly “limited . . . acceptable forms of collateral”85 to Letters of Credit and cash, PJM
83 Compare July 31 Filing, Attachment B at proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, sections 18.8(b)(i)(B)(1), (2),
with proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, sections 18.8(b)(i)(B)(1), (2).
84 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.3(b)(iii).
85 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 205.
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re-assessed whether it could accept other forms of collateral, and determined that it also
could accept surety bonds. Accordingly, PJM is proposing to revise the definition of RBP
Collateral to include surety bonds,86 providing LSEs additional flexibility to manage their
collateral requirements. As Ms. Kelly testifies, all three of these acceptable forms of
collateral “provide [PJM] reliable financial protection that PJM can access promptly when
necessary, without conditions that could delay or impair its ability to obtain payment.”87
From the start, PJM considered the unsecured credit available from existing Market
Participants. But, as PJM explained in the initial RBP proceeding, there are two primary
reasons that unsecured credit is not an appropriate form of collateral for RBP payment
obligations. One, PJM’s experience “has shown that, generally speaking, Market
Participants used their full amount of unsecured credit to cover their Peak Market Activity
credit obligations associated with those periods.”88 Two, the ability of the entity proffering
the unsecured credit to “access to liquidity may . . . evaporate [during the up to 15-year
term of the RBP contract], making it functionally unable to post additional collateral
precisely when default risk rises.”89 In short, Market Participants already use all their
unsecured credit available today so none is available to cover a 15-year payment obligation.
And, even if some were available, it is not a form of collateral you can draw down on, and
86 Proposed Tariff, Part 1, Definitions – R-S, RBP Collateral (“‘RBP Collateral’ shall mean any one of: (1) a
cash deposit, including any interest thereon, (2) a surety bond with a provider, amount and form determined
by and acceptable to PJM or PJMSettlement, or (3) a letter of credit issued for the benefit of PJM or
PJMSettlement, with a provider, amount and form determined by and acceptable to PJM or
PJMSettlement.”).
87 Kelly Aff. ¶ 57.
88 PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., Motion for Leave to Answer and Answer of PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.,
Docket No. ER26-3380-000, at 85 (Sep. 10, 2026) (“PJM RBP Answer”).
89 PJM RBP Answer at 85.
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it is not convertible to cash. In addition, RBP’s long-term payment obligation precludes
PJM having the requisite confidence in the ability to draw on an unsecured credit to
meaningfully cover the payment obligation. Therefore, allowing an LSE’s credit
requirement to be met through unsecured credit would inappropriately shift the default risk
to PJM’s Members.
4.
Upon garnering sufficient experience, PJM will review the RBP
Credit Rate and will present any recommendations to stakeholders.
Things change over time; PJM recognizes that. The quantitative and qualitative
analysis that support the proposed RBP Credit Rate could change over time such that a
review of the RBP Credit Rate may be warranted in order for the LSE credit requirement
to continue to “strike a reasonable balance . . . against the risk of default and ensuring
market participants have adequate flexibility to manage their collateral requirements.”90
Accordingly, PJM is proposing to memorialize in its Tariff a requirement for PJM to review
the RBP Credit Rate “[f]ollowing the commencement of commercial operation of all
Capacity Resources with RBP commitments.”91 This review will look at the inputs used
to the determine the RBP Credit Rate, allowing PJM to identify whether and to what degree
changes in the inputs over time may affect the RBP Credit Rate. In other words, PJM
would evaluate the inputs discussed in Part II.B.1 above, including, for example, changes
in the weighted-average credit rating of the portfolio of LSEs operating in PJM and the
cost incurred by LSEs in providing collateral (e.g., the five-year historical trend in the 30-
day average Secured Overnight Financing Rate). As Ms. Kelly explains, “[i]f PJM
90 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 205.
91 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(A).
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identifies material changes that would affect the RBP Credit Rate, PJM will reassess the
RBP Credit Rate.”92 To the extent PJM identifies the need for any changes, the proposed
Tariff revisions require PJM to “present any recommendations to stakeholders through the
Members Committee.”93
PJM is proposing to conduct this review once all committed RBP Resources reach
commercial operation,94 which will be a point in time in which there will be certainty as to
the entire set of RBP Resources as well as afford PJM and Market Participants a few
Delivery Years’ worth of experience under the proposed RBP Credit Rate before
evaluating whether it needs to be revised. PJM would conduct such review no later than
the 2035/2036 Delivery Year, given that all RBP Resources should achieve commercial
operation by June 1, 2032, or face RBP Shortfall Charges and RBP commitments will be
rescinded for RBP Resources that fail to achieve commercial operation within three
Delivery Years of the first Delivery Year for which the RBP Resource is committed.
5.
PJM is clarifying that Credit Requirements for RBP Charges shall
not be included in existing PJM credit tools.
The proposed LSE credit requirement should require the provision of adequate
credit to mitigate the risk of paying for the RBP commitments over their term. To be clear,
the LSE credit requirement is designed to cover both parts of the forward payment
obligation due to a committed RBP Resource—the RBP Charges (i.e., the contract for
differences) and the Locational Reliability Charges (i.e., RPM capacity payments).95
92 Kelly Aff. ¶ 62.
93 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8(b)(i)(A).
94 To the extent any RBP commitment is rescinded pursuant to Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.6(e), PJM
would ignore such RBP Resource in determining when to commence the review.
95 See Kelly Aff. ¶ 59.
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Therefore, to avoid double counting the RPM capacity payment obligation, PJM is
proposing revisions to Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8 to remove language that could
allow PJM to consider RBP Charges and RPM capacity payments owed such RBP
Resource through its other credit tools in Tariff, Attachment Q, including the Peak Market
Activity. In fact, PJM is proposing revisions to make explicit that such payment
obligations “shall not be included in Peak Market Activity” and is deleting the language
that “[n]othing in this Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8 supersedes the provisions of
Tariff, Attachment Q.”96 These revisions resolve in the negative any doubt as to whether
PJM’s proposed RBP credit requirement is duplicative of any existing PJM credit rule.
C.
Treatment of RBP Commitment in Event of Transmission Owner Exit
During Term of the Commitment (Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD,
Section 18.7)
The September 29 Order states that “the proposed Transmission Owner exit
provisions [from PJM’s July 31 Filing] may be inconsistent with the cost causation
principle because they do not assign costs to the entities that cause the costs and benefit
from the capacity procurement under the RBP, i.e. LSEs.”97 In response, PJM is proposing
to modify Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.7 to put LSEs on notice that, in the event of a
withdrawal from PJM, LSEs will continue to be responsible for any remaining RBP
Charges that are allocated to them during the term of the RBP commitment. To be clear,
this provision is designed to address the limited scenario where an LSE assigned
responsibility for RBP Charges is electrically separated from PJM as a result of another
entity that physically withdraws from PJM. It does not apply to scenarios where a Large
96 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.8.
97 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 179.
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Load may switch LSEs during the term of the RBP commitment as those changes would
ordinarily be reflected in the Daily Unforced Capacity Obligation or Reliability Backstop
Obligation that is used to charge for the RBP obligations.
Specifically, PJM proposes to modify the exit provision in proposed Tariff,
Attachment DD, section 18.7 as follows:
In the event a Load Serving Entity that is allocated RBP Charges
withdraws from PJM (whether or not caused by the physical
withdrawal of another entity from the PJM Region), such Load
Serving Entity shall be responsible for the remainder of the RBP
Charges allocated to it, subject to a rate filing with the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission that details the specific terms and
amounts owed. Nothing in this provision shall limit such Load
Serving Entity’s ability to seek redress from another entity to the
extent the Load Serving Entity’s withdrawal is caused by that other
entity’s physical withdrawal from the PJM Region.
To date, no LSEs have indicated an intention to withdraw from PJM. Nevertheless, the
proposed Tariff provision is needed to: (1) put LSEs on notice of how RBP commitments
will be honored; (2) recognize that a primary incentive for developers to participate in the
RBP is the cost certainty afforded by a 15-year commitment; (3) aid in the financing of
RBP Resources that can be developed and placed in service quickly; and (4) protect
remaining customers in PJM from stranded costs arising from RBP Charges. As proposed,
the Tariff language may be divided into the following three distinct subparts, which PJM
will address, in turn, below:
1) broad notice to LSEs of their responsibility for allocated RBP Charges in
the event of withdrawal;
2) recognition that, in the event of withdrawal, details about specific terms and
amounts owed will be subject to subsequent filings with the Commission;
and
3) express preservation of an LSE’s ability to seek redress under certain
circumstances.
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1.
LSEs are on notice that, in the event of withdrawal, LSEs will
continue to be responsible for RBP Charges allocated to them.
The September 29 Order suggests that “a just and reasonable approach could
require LSEs in an exiting Transmission Owner’s zone to pay RBP exit fees commensurate
with their cost allocation under the RBP, to prevent cost shifts to other LSEs in the PJM
Region.”98 Accordingly, PJM proposes to require that LSEs, rather than exiting
Transmission Owners, cover costs commensurate with the RBP Charges allocated to them.
The modified Tariff language follows the guidance provided in the September 29 Order
and finds support in Commission precedent, and is therefore just and reasonable.
First, the September 29 Order suggests that a more legally durable approach to
guarding against stranded RBP costs in the event of a withdrawal from PJM would be to
require RBP Charges to follow an exiting LSE, rather than the exiting Transmission Owner.
As the Commission observed in the September 29 Order, in Duquesne, the LSE
“understood that PJM was procuring capacity on its behalf,” and “PJM’s obligation to pay
generators is fixed at the time of the auction.”99 It follows that, in Duquesne, LSEs located
in an exiting Transmission Owner’s zone continued to be obligated to pay for capacity
procured through the RPM.100
According to the September 29 Order, RBP Charges are analogous to the cost of
capacity procured through the RPM in Duquesne, because:
Under its RBP proposal, PJM similarly proposes to procure capacity
through the RBP on behalf of LSEs, establish obligations to pay
RBP Resources at the time of the procurement, and later allocate
98 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 181.
99 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 178 (quoting Duquesne Light Co., 122 FERC ¶ 61,039, at P
89 (2008)).
100 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 178.
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those costs to LSEs. PJM fails to explain why Transmission
Owners—who are not the buyers for which PJM procures capacity
under the RBP—should be responsible for RBP Charges.101
Because LSEs, not exiting Transmission Owners, are the buyers for which PJM procures
capacity under the RBP, LSEs are the beneficiaries of the RBP Resources procured by PJM.
Thus, as the September 29 Order suggests, even where an exiting Transmission Owner
ultimately causes an LSE to withdraw involuntarily from PJM, LSEs nevertheless remain
the underlying cause for the RBP Resources and associated RBP Charges established at the
time of procurement. Thus, as the Commission suggests, it is reasonable to continue
requiring LSEs to cover RBP Charges allocated to them, even after they have withdrawn
from PJM. Thus, PJM is revising its proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.7 to
require that LSEs, rather than exiting Transmission Owners, continue to cover the costs of
RBP Charges allocated to them.
Second, PJM’s proposed Tariff language is drafted broadly to put exiting LSEs on
notice of ongoing cost responsibility for RBP Charges allocated to them, without regard to
whether those LSEs have exited PJM involuntarily based on their location in an exiting
Transmission Owner’s zone. In PJM, an LSE is defined by its role as an entity serving
end-use customers within the PJM Region with the authority or obligation to sell electric
energy to such end-users.102 LSEs without physical assets would generally withdraw from
PJM when the end-users they serve are located in an exiting Transmission Owner’s zone.
Thus, the September 29 Order suggests that a just and reasonable approach could require
101 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 178.
102 RAA, Article 1, Definitions; Tariff, Part 1, Definitions – L-M-N.
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“LSEs in an exiting Transmission Owner’s zone” to continue paying RBP Charges
allocated to them.103
PJM’s proposed Tariff provision recognizes that, in light of the numerous different
configurations found in PJM, it is possible that LSEs may withdraw from PJM for reasons
other than a Transmission Owner’s physical withdrawal from the PJM Region. Thus,
PJM’s proposed Tariff provision puts LSEs on notice that they will be responsible for the
remainder of RBP Charges allocated to them whether or not their exit was caused by the
physical withdrawal of another entity from the PJM Region. Likewise, the revised Tariff
provision puts LSEs on notice that their ongoing cost responsibility for RBP Charges will
continue to follow them even if an LSE’s withdrawal is the result of the physical
withdrawal of entities other than an exiting Transmission Owner. Thus, the proposed Tariff
provision is drafted broadly to provide assurances against stranded RBP Charges and cost
shifts.
2.
The modified proposal expressly recognizes that the specific terms
and amounts owed in RBP Charges are subject to future filings with
the Commission.
In response to PJM’s July 31 Filing, a number of protestors raised concerns that
PJM’s previously proposed exit provisions were unnecessarily constraining. The
Commission, “disagree[d] with protesters that establishing exit provisions in the Tariff
would unnecessarily constrain the parties involved in effectuating a Transmission Owner’s
withdrawal from PJM. As PJM states, the cost obligations will be ‘appropriately decided
at the time of Transmission Owner’s exit and subject to Commission approval.’”104 As the
103 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at PP 181-82.
104 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 180 (quoting PJM RBP Answer at 98).
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Commission has previously recognized, “there are a number of steps involved in
proceeding with an orderly withdrawal from [a Regional Transmission Organization
(“RTO”)]” through “an orderly, phased-in sequence.”105
PJM is proposing to modify its Tariff provision to expressly state that RBP Charges
associated with a withdrawing LSE will be “subject to a rate filing with the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission that details the specific terms and amounts owed.”106 The
modified proposal clarifies an important point and adheres to the September 29 Order and
Commission precedent and is therefore just and reasonable.
First, like other exit provisions that the Commission has previously found to be just
and reasonable, PJM’s proposal does not establish specific cost obligations arising from
specific circumstances surrounding a particular LSE’s withdrawal or prejudge any potential
settlement agreements pertaining to cost responsibility.107 Under the proposed Tariff
language, LSEs will only be responsible for the remainder of RBP Charges allocated to it.
Depending on the specific circumstance of an LSE’s withdrawal, RBP Obligation MW and
associated RBP Charges may be subsequently allocated to other LSEs that have not
withdrawn from the PJM Region, in accordance with Tariff, Attachment DD, section
18.3(b).
Second, in accordance with the September 29 Order, PJM is proposing a Tariff
provision that “still leave[s] flexibility for LSEs”108 that have been allocated responsibility
105 Duke Energy Ohio, Inc., 133 FERC ¶ 61,058, at P 133 (2010) (quoting Am. Transmission Sys., Inc. v.
PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 129 FERC ¶ 61,249, at P 29 (2009)).
106 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.7.
107 See, e.g., Midwest Indep. Transmission Sys. Operator, Inc., 133 FERC ¶ 61,221, at P 471 (2010), order
on reh’g, 137 FERC ¶ 61,074 (2011).
108 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 181.
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for RBP Charges. PJM agrees with the Commission that LSEs withdrawing from PJM
should retain the flexibility to enter into appropriate business arrangements to cover its
allocated RBP Charges. As the September 29 Order suggests, exiting LSEs may still have
the flexibility “to enter into agreements with RBP Resources (which they may need to serve
their load) or pay to pseudo-tie RBP Resources located within the exiting Transmission
Owner’s zone back into PJM.”109
3.
The modified proposal expressly preserves an LSE’s ability to seek
redress under certain circumstances.
While the modified proposal requires exiting LSEs—rather than exiting
Transmission Owners—to continue covering their allocated RBP Charges, PJM
nevertheless recognizes that LSEs retain the flexibility to seek redress when another
entity’s physical withdrawal from the PJM Region, such as a Transmission Owner’s, causes
an LSE to also be withdrawn from PJM. Therefore, PJM’s modified Tariff provision
expressly states that “[n]othing in this provision shall limit such Load Serving Entity’s
ability to seek redress from another entity to the extent the Load Serving Entity’s
withdrawal is caused by that other entity’s physical withdrawal from the PJM Region.”110
The proposed language is just and reasonable and supported by Commission precedent.
First, as noted above, the proposed exit provision is drafted broadly to include, but
not be limited to, instances where a Transmission Owner’s physical withdrawal from the
PJM Region causes LSEs to involuntarily withdraw from PJM. The Commission has
expressly recognized that LSEs “may be required to associate with the same RTO as the
109 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 181.
110 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.7.
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transmission owner” and thus could require the “involuntary withdrawal by other LSEs in
the [withdrawing transmission owner’s] zone.”111
When Transmission Owners have exited an RTO/Independent System Operator
(“ISO”), LSEs that must involuntarily withdraw in order to associate with the same
RTO/ISO as the exiting Transmission Owners have invariably challenged costs associated
with the Transmission Owners’ withdrawal from the RTO/ISO.112 The Commission has
previously found an exiting transmission owner’s proposal to recover costs from its
customers to be unjust and unreasonable where the transmission owner has “not
sufficiently shown that wholesale transmission customers would realize net benefits from
the RTO realignment.”113 The proposed Tariff provision recognizes that LSEs retain the
right to file for cost recovery or intervene, challenge, and protest cost assignments
following their involuntary withdrawal, including, but not limited to, by challenging the
subsequent rate filings before the Commission.
Second, the proposed Tariff provision recognizes that the Commission has
previously upheld Tariff provisions that shift cost responsibility from transmission
customers to their exiting transmission owners. In FirstEnergy Service Co. v. Midwest
Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc., for example, the Commission upheld
Schedule 39 of the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc. (“MISO”)
Tariff, which held Transmission Owners exiting from MISO responsible for the costs of
111 Duquesne Light Co., 122 FERC ¶ 61,039 at P 130.
112 See, e.g., PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 151 FERC ¶ 61,029 (2015) (approving settlement between exiting
transmission owner and wholesale transmission customers excluding 100% of certain exit and integration
costs following Commission’s denial, without prejudice, of transmission owner’s request to recover such
costs).
113 PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 144 FERC ¶ 61,217, at P 22 (2013).
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Multi-Value Project Charges, even though such charges are typically borne transmission
customers. Therein, the Commission “disagree[d] with parties’ assertions that Schedule 39
improperly shifts responsibility from the transmission customers to the Withdrawing
Transmission Owner.”114 As the Commission explained:
The transmission owner, not its transmission customers, makes the
decision to withdraw from MISO and, therefore, Attachment FF [of
the MISO Tariff] neither contemplates nor prescribes any financial
obligations for transmission customers in the Withdrawing
Transmission Owner’s zone. Moreover, we disagree that MVP
charges cannot be part of a transmission owner’s exit fee obligation
because, prior to a transmission owner’s withdrawal, MVP charges
are assessed to transmission customers. Attachment FF states . . .
that transmission owners, upon withdrawal, become responsible
for costs contemplated in Attachment FF.115
Subsequently, the Commission expressly distinguished FirstEnergy from Duquesne,
reasoning:
Although the Commission agreed that the allocation and usage-
based rate design of MISO’s MVPs are similar to the allocation and
usage-based rate design of PJM’s 500 kV facilities at issue in
Duquesne, which the Commission rejected as part of a PJM exit
fee, the Commission found that MISO’s Tariff language is different
than PJM’s. The Commission stated that Section III.A.2.j of
Attachment FF of MISO’s Tariff explicitly obligates transmission
owners withdrawing from MISO to pay costs incurred under
Attachment FF, including MVP costs, whereas, in Duquesne, the
Commission found that Schedule 12 of the PJM tariff lacked any
language to obligate transmission owners that withdraw from PJM
to continue to pay for transmission facility additions rated 500 kV
and above. Because Attachment FF specified that transmission
owners withdrawing from MISO are obligated to honor financial
obligations associated with transmission facility additions incurred
114 FirstEnergy Serv. Co. v. Midwest Indep. Transmission Sys. Operator, Inc., 138 FERC ¶ 61,140, at P 65
(2012), order on initial decision & reh’g, 153 FERC ¶ 61,101 (2015).
115 FirstEnergy, 138 FERC ¶ 61,140 at P 65.
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under Attachment FF prior to withdrawal, the Commission found
that the Duquesne precedent was distinguishable.116
While PJM’s revised Tariff provision recognizes that a more legally durable solution
follows Commission precedent in Duquesne, PJM nevertheless proposes that its Tariff
expressly reserves the right of an LSE to seek redress from other entities whose decision
to withdraw from PJM results in the withdrawal of the LSE.
In recognition of the fact that, depending on the specific circumstances of the
withdrawal, LSEs may argue that costs typically borne by LSEs should become the
responsibility of the entity that initiated the physical withdrawal from the PJM Region,
PJM is proposing revised Tariff language that expressly contemplates that LSEs may seek
redress from the other such entity whose physical withdrawal from the PJM Region caused
the LSEs’ withdrawal from PJM. While the provision is drafted broadly, PJM contemplates
that the forms of redress that an LSE may seek may include recouperation of costs resulting
directly from a Transmission Owner’s business decision to exit PJM.
III.
PROPOSED ADDITIONAL UPDATES TO THE ACCEPTED RBP RULES
Beyond the proposed updates discussed above, PJM proposes additional limited
amendments to the Tariff that serves to further refine, clarify, and/or update the set of RBP
rules as detailed below.
A.
PJM Proposes to Amend the Opt-Out for LSEs that Are Not Regulated by
States.
In the July 31 Filing, PJM proposed a limited RBP opt-out applicable to certain
Electric Distributors whose zone/area rates are not subject to state regulation. The purpose
of that provision was to address a narrow regulatory circumstance facing certain
116 FirstEnergy, 153 FERC ¶ 61,101 at P 142.
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cooperative and municipal utility systems whose rates are not regulated by a state authority.
However, in the September 29 Order, the Commission found that the proposed opt-out for
qualifying cooperatives and municipal utilities may be unjust, unreasonable, and unduly
discriminatory because those entities may serve Large Loads that are similarly situated to
Large Loads served by other LSEs that would remain responsible for RBP Charges.117
To address this concern, PJM proposes to revise Tariff, Attachment DD, section
18.1(d) to eliminate the provision that permits an Electric Distributor that is not regulated
by a RERRA to specify a quantity of load that will be opted out of the Initial RBP Target.
As revised, the RBP framework will no longer provide an opt-out based on the regulatory
status of an Electric Distributor’s zone/area.
This revision ensures that responsibility for RBP Charges is applied on a
comparable basis across all LSEs that serve Large Loads. Accordingly, LSEs serving
Large Loads will remain responsible for RBP Charges regardless of whether the relevant
Electric Distributor’s zone/area is regulated by a state. By removing the previously
proposed opt-out, the potential for disparate treatment among similarly situated Large
Loads is eliminated and directly addresses the concern identified by the Commission in the
September 29 Order.
B.
PJM Proposes Updates to Modify the Opt-Out for a Peak Shaving
Adjustment Program to Align with the RBP Offset.
While PJM is maintaining the remaining opt-out for Electric Distributors that
address resource adequacy needs through Peak Shaving Adjustment programs established
pursuant to state law, PJM proposes a targeted modification to better align that opt-out with
117 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 152.
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the requirements applicable to Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW. Specifically, PJM
proposes to require that any MW quantity used to reduce the Initial RBP Target through
the Peak Shaving Adjustment opt-out be committed to participate in the applicable Peak
Shaving Adjustment program for a minimum term of five years.118 This requirement is
consistent with the existing requirement that Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW be
supported by a signed bilateral contract with a minimum term of five years in order to offset
the Initial RBP Target.119
This proposed revision recognizes that Peak Shaving Adjustment MW and
Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW serve a similar function within the RBP framework. In
each case, the MW quantity is used to reduce the Initial RBP Target and, therefore, reduce
the quantity of Capacity Resources that otherwise would be procured through the RBP
construct. Although Peak Shaving Adjustment MW reflects a demand-side reduction rather
than the addition of a supply-side resource with an accredited UCAP value, both
mechanisms reduce the amount of incremental capacity procurement that would otherwise
be necessary to address Large Load growth.
Because both mechanisms produce a comparable effect on the Initial RBP Target,
they should be subject to comparable durability requirements. The proposed five-year
minimum participation requirement helps ensure that Peak Shaving Adjustment MW used
to reduce the Initial RBP Target represents a meaningful and sustained contribution to
resource adequacy rather than a temporary or transitory reduction in load. Absent such a
requirement, load could reduce the Initial RBP Target based on short-term participation in
118 See proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.1(d).
119 See Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.2(c)(i).
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a Peak Shaving Adjustment program without providing a commensurate long-term
contribution to meeting the resource adequacy needs that gave rise to the RBP
procurement.
Accordingly, the proposed five-year minimum term promotes consistency across
the RBP framework by treating demand-side and supply-side offset mechanisms in a
comparable manner. At the same time, the requirement remains sufficiently flexible to
accommodate commercially reasonable arrangements while ensuring that any MW used to
reduce the Initial RBP Target reflects a sustained commitment that supports resource
adequacy objectives.
C.
PJM Proposes to Update the Rules Related to the Cure Period for Any
Identified Deficiencies Associated with an RBP Sell Offer.
Under the RBP rules accepted by the Commission in the September 29 Order, each
RBP Sell Offer must include the information and evidence necessary to demonstrate that
the proposed project qualifies as an RBP Resource. Specifically, an RBP Sell Offer must
be accompanied by the applicable documentation and support required for the relevant
resource type under Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.5(f)(i). Upon receipt of an RBP
Sell Offer, PJM reviews the submission on a pass/fail basis to determine whether the offer
includes the required information and supporting evidence. If PJM identifies missing
documentation or other deficiencies, PJM will notify the RBP Seller and provide an
opportunity to cure the identified deficiencies before the offer is rejected.120 In the event
PJM identifies missing documentation or other evidence in an RBP Sell Offer, an RBP
120 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.5(f)(i).
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Seller has five calendar days, or until the close of the RBP offer submission window,
whichever occurs first, to cure any deficiencies identified by PJM.121
Upon further review, PJM has determined that this provision may not provide all
RBP Sellers a meaningful and consistent opportunity to cure deficiencies. In particular,
should a significant number of RBP Sell Offers be submitted towards the end of the RBP
offer submission window, PJM may not be able to complete its review of every offer and
issue any necessary deficiency notices prior to the expiration of the submission window.
As a result, the amount of time available to cure a deficiency could vary based solely on
the timing of PJM’s review rather than the nature of the deficiency or the merits of the
underlying project.
To address this concern, PJM proposes a narrow modification to the cure process.
Under the proposed revision, an RBP Seller will have five calendar days from receipt of a
deficiency notice to cure any deficiencies identified by PJM, even if the cure period extends
beyond the close of the RBP offer submission window. This change does not alter the
substantive requirements applicable to RBP Sell Offers, nor does it modify PJM’s
evaluation criteria. Rather, it allows all RBP Sellers to receive the same cure opportunity
once PJM has identified a deficiency. In addition, this revision enhances the fairness and
administrability of the RBP qualification process by ensuring that an RBP Seller is not
denied a cure opportunity solely because PJM’s review occurs near the end of the
submission window. The proposed revision also improves the likelihood that potentially
121 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.5(f)(i).
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qualifying RBP Resources will be evaluated on their merits rather than excluded due to
timing constraints associated with the review process.
Importantly, PJM does not expect this change to encourage late submissions. RBP
Sell Offers will continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the submission
window, and PJM anticipates that sellers submitting offers earlier in the process may have
greater opportunities to respond to informal requests for clarification or supplemental
information before PJM issues a formal deficiency notice. By contrast, sellers submitting
offers closer to the close of the submission window may have fewer opportunities for
informal engagement prior to the commencement of the formal cure process. Accordingly,
RBP Sellers will continue to have a strong incentive to submit complete RBP Sell Offers
as early as practicable during the submission window.
To effectuate this update, PJM proposes to modify Tariff, Attachment DD,
section 18.5(f)(i), as shown in blackline below:
RBP Sell Offers that do not include the following information shall
not proceed to selection assessment, provided, however, that the
Office of the Interconnection shall provide the RBP Seller the
opportunity to cure any identified deficiencies within five (5)
calendar days of being notified by PJM. Notwithstanding, such
opportunity to cure shall not extend past the close of the bid
submission window of the Reliability Backstop Procurement.
D.
PJM Proposes Clarifications Related to Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP
MW.
In the July 31 Filing, PJM explained that it is just and reasonable to reduce the
Initial RBP Target to reflect qualifying new capacity procured outside of the RBP construct
(“Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW”). Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW recognizes
bilateral arrangements that help address the resource adequacy need associated with Large
Load growth while furthering PJM’s preference for encouraging voluntary procurement of
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new capacity through bilateral contracting rather than through mandatory RBP
procurement. As the Commission previously accepted, the universe of resources eligible
to qualify as Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW includes new generation, Energy Storage
Resources, Planned Demand Resources, and Planned DER Capacity Aggregation
Resources.122
It remains just and reasonable to permit Electric Distributors to report Qualifying
RBP Offset UCAP MW for purposes of decrementing the Initial RBP Target. Through
this filing, PJM clarifies that any such resource must be physically located within the PJM
Region.123 Additionally, given that the RBP is now anticipated to commence on March 1,
2027, PJM is clarifying that capacity that may be committed in the Third Incremental
Auction associated with the 2027/2028 Delivery Year will remain eligible as Qualifying
RBP Offset UCAP MW (as well as to maintain eligibility as an RBP Resource).124 This is
appropriate given that the deadline to submit the binding notice of intent to offer into the
Third Incremental Auction associated with the 2027/2028 Delivery Year will be before an
order on this filing is expected.125 This will avoid a scenario where a Planned Generation
Capacity Resource may not be offered into the 2027/2028 Third Incremental Auction to
preserve eligibility to be either offered as an RBP Resource or used as a Qualifying RBP
Offset UCAP MW.
122 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.2(b).
123 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.2(a).
124 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.2(a); proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.5(a)(ii);
proposed Tariff, Part 1, Definitions – O-P-Q, Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW.
125 Specifically, the current deadline for the notice of intent to offer into the Third Incremental Auction for
the 20287/2028 Delivery Year is November 26, 2026.
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In addition, PJM is updating the language in Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.2(e)
to conform with the revised approach of requiring Electric Distributors to report the MW
quantity of Large Load. Specifically, PJM proposes to amend this section to state that the
total quantity of Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW that can be used to decrement the
Initial RBP Target “will be capped by the aggregate MW quantity of Large Load reported
by each Electric Distributor, as reported in accordance with Tariff, Attachment DD, section
18.3(a)(2), and the total MW quantity that is subject to the RBP opt-out, as requested in
accordance with Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.1(d), for the relevant zone/area.”126
Consistent with this clarification, PJM is also specifying that the Qualifying RBP Offset
UCAP MW must be the subject of a bilateral agreement with a Large Load and up to the
capacity obligation of such Large Load.127 This way, the Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP
MW will not be higher than the quantity of Large Load that the RBP is designed to procure
for the 2028/2029 Delivery Year.
Further, PJM is clarifying through this filing that Planned Demand Resource or
Planned DER Capacity Aggregation Resource used as Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW
must satisfy certain eligibility requirements that also apply to those resource types when
qualifying as RBP Resources. Specifically, such resources must “[n]ot be reliant on or
composed of registered location(s) that previously supported a Demand Resource that
provided capacity in the 2026/2027 Delivery Year unless such location represents an
incremental increase in capacity resulting from an investment in new generation or new
126 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.2(e).
127 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.2(c).
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storage resources at that location.”128 In addition, such resources must be supported by a
signed commitment between the Curtailment Service Provider or DER Aggregator
identifying the end-use customers that will support such commitment in an amount equal
to the MW quantity relied upon as the offset.129
These requirements provide reasonable assurances that Planned Demand Resources
and Planned DER Capacity Aggregation Resources used to reduce the Initial RBP Target
represent genuinely incremental capacity additions rather than the repackaging of existing
demand-side capability that has already contributed to PJM’s resource adequacy
requirements. Because the purpose of the Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW mechanism
is to recognize new capacity that mitigates the reliability needs otherwise addressed
through the RBP construct, it is appropriate to require evidence demonstrating that the
specific end-use customer locations represent new capability and is directly associated with
the new loads responsible for the incremental resource adequacy need. At the same time,
these requirements do not need to be so restrictive that any previously registered end-use
location prior to the 2026/2027 Delivery Year would be foreclosed from being eligible to
be registered in support of a Demand Resource that is either offered as an RBP Resource
or reported as Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW. Such locations are not currently
supporting Capacity Resources, and therefore any capacity capability they can provide
should be deemed new capacity on the system.
PJM also proposes to clarify that Planned Demand Resources and Planned DER
Capacity Aggregation Resources used as Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW must identify
128 See proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.5(c)(i).
129 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.2(c)(iii).
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the specific locations that will support the offset. This requirement is necessary to verify
that the claimed MW quantity is associated with identifiable new load and represents
incremental capacity that did not previously contribute to PJM's resource adequacy needs.
The Commission expressly recognized concerns that Demand Resources and DER
Aggregation Resources may face challenges in identifying customer locations sufficiently
far in advance in the context of qualifying as an RBP Resource, but nonetheless found it
reasonable to require identification of the specific locations supporting such resources.130
Requiring location-specific information in the offset context is likewise appropriate and is
consistent with the comparable identification requirements applicable to generation
resources proposed as Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW.131
At the same time, while Planned Demand Resources and Planned DER Capacity
Aggregation Resources used as Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW must satisfy the
eligibility requirements necessary to demonstrate that the resources are new, incremental,
and directly tied to the underlying Large Load, PJM does not require those resources to
provide all of the documentation necessary to qualify as an RBP Resource. Specifically,
the submission of the specific end-use customer contracts that would otherwise be required
for participation as an RBP Resource would not be required. This tailored approach
appropriately balances the need to ensure that offset MW represent genuine new capacity
against the recognition that Qualifying RBP Offset UCAP MW are not themselves seeking
RBP commitments or compensation. As a result, the proposal provides sufficient
130 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 50.
131 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.2(c).
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assurance that any MW used to reduce the Final RBP Target reflects real and incremental
capacity additions while avoiding unnecessarily burdensome qualification requirements.
Finally, PJM is proposing to correct a typographical error in proposed Tariff,
Attachment DD, section 18.5(d). Specifically, the Tariff provision states:
To qualify as a DER Capacity Aggregation Resource that supplies
RBP UCAP MW eligible to be offered into the Reliability Backstop
Procurement, a Planned DER Capacity Aggregation Resource must
meet
the
requirements
of
Tariff,
Attachment
DD,
sections 18.5(b) . . . .132
Section 18.5(b) establishes the requirements applicable to “Generation or Energy
Storage Resources as an RBP Resources” and was not intended to apply to DER Capacity
Aggregation Resources. Rather, PJM intended to reference section 18.5(a), which sets
forth the general eligibility requirements applicable to all resources supporting RBP UCAP
MW and is titled “RBP Seller Eligibility to Participate and General Requirements for
Resources Supporting RBP UCAP MW.” Accordingly, this filing corrects Tariff,
Attachment DD, section 18.5(d) by replacing the reference to “section 18.5(b)” with
“section 18.5(a).”133
E.
PJM Proposes to Update Site Control Requirements.
In the July 31 Filing, PJM proposed an RBP gating criteria designed to limit
participation to resources with a high likelihood of achieving commercial operation to deter
speculative offers. As relevant here, generation and storage resources seeking to
participate in the RBP must demonstrate, among other things, evidence of 100% Site
Control “for a term of at least three years from the date of submission of the
132 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.5(d).
133 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.5(d).
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Application.”134 In Docket No. ER26-3380-000, PJM responded to comments submitted
by CPV Power Holdings, LP (“CPV”) and acknowledged certain concerns regarding the
proposed Site Control requirements.135 In the September 29 Order, the Commission
recognized “PJM’s openness to adopt CPV’s suggested redlines to proposed Tariff,
Attachment DD, section 18.5(f)(i)(2)” and stated that PJM could incorporate revisions to
that provision through this filing.136
In particular, PJM recognizes that the reference to “Application” in Tariff,
Attachment DD, section 18.5(f)(i)(2) may create ambiguity in the context of the RBP. That
is, the term “Application” is generally associated with the submission of a project into
PJM’s interconnection queue and does not clearly identify the relevant point in time for
purposes of the RBP Site Control requirement. Accordingly, PJM proposes to clarify that
the three-year Site Control requirement is measured from the date of submission of the
RBP Sell Offer.
PJM also proposes to revise the Site Control requirement to avoid imposing
duplicative obligations on projects that are already being studied, or have already
completed the relevant studies, as part of PJM’s interconnection process. Such projects
are already required to satisfy the applicable Site Control requirements as a condition of
progressing through the interconnection queue. Requiring those projects to separately
demonstrate an additional three-year minimum term of Site Control for RBP participation
134 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.5(f)(i)(2).
135 See PJM RBP Answer at 10, 44-46; PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., Motion to Intervene and Comments of
CPV Power Holdings, LP, Docket No. ER26-3380-000, at 4-5 (Aug. 21, 2026).
136 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 78.
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could unnecessarily exclude otherwise viable resources that have a high likelihood of
reaching commercial operation.
Therefore, PJM proposes to revise Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.5(f)(i)(2) so
that only projects that are not currently undergoing, and have not previously completed, an
interconnection study in PJM’s interconnection process must provide evidence of 100%
Site Control, consistent with the requirements set forth in Tariff, Part VIII, Subpart A,
section 402, for a term of at least three years from the submission of the RBP Sell Offer.
For the same reason, only those projects would be required to provide an officer
certification demonstrating compliance with the applicable Site Control requirements.
Based on the foregoing, PJM proposes to amend Tariff, Attachment DD,
section 18.5(f)(i)(2), as shown in blackline below:
(2) For projects that are not the subject of a completed
interconnection study or are not currently under study as part of an
active New Service Request by the Office of the Interconnection,
Eevidence of 100% Site Control consistent with Tariff, Part VIII,
Subpart A, section 402 for each of the Generating Facility (including
the location of the main step-up transformer), the Interconnection
Facilities, and the Interconnection Switchyard (as defined in the
PJM Manuals) for a term of at least three years from the date of
submission of the ApplicationRBP Sell Offer.
In addition,Such projects must also be accompanied by a
certification, executed by an officer or authorized representative of
the Generation Project Developer, verifying that the Site Control
requirements have been met. Further, at Transmission Provider’s
request, Generation Project Developer shall provide copies of
landowner attestations or county recordings. The Site Control
requirements include an acreage requirement for the Project, as set
forth in the PJM Manuals.
Evidence of site control shall be consistent with Tariff, Part VIII,
Subpart A, section 402;
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F.
PJM Proposes to Utilize the Most Updated Resource Forecast and
Resource Mix.
Given that the September 29 Order suspended the RBP rules for five months to
become effective February 28, 2027, PJM now anticipates commencing the RBP on
March 1, 2027. As part of the September 29 Order, the Commission indicated that “PJM
should employ the most up-to-date load and resource forecasts to inform the Initial RBP
Target” when PJM conducts the RBP.137
Consistent with the Commission’s guidance, PJM proposes to update the Initial
RBP Target using the most current data available at the time of the RBP. As initially
proposed, the Initial RBP Target will continue to be determined as the difference between
the PJM Region Reliability Requirement for the 2028/2029 Delivery Year and the total
quantity of Capacity Resources that cleared the 2028/2029 Base Residual Auction.
However, rather than relying on the forecasts and accreditation values available at the time
of the July 31 Filing, PJM will utilize the most recent load forecast and capacity
accreditation information available immediately prior to the commencement of the RBP.
Specifically, PJM will use the latest PJM Region Reliability Requirement for the
2028/2029 Delivery Year, which will reflect the latest load forecast for the 2028/2029
Delivery Year that is scheduled to be finalized and published on or before February 1,
2027.138 Likewise, PJM will also recalculate the UCAP equivalent of the ICAP quantity
of Capacity Resources that cleared in the 2028/2029 Base Residual Auction using the
137 September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 159.
138 See Tariff, Attachment DD, section 5.10(d).
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capacity accreditation factors for the 2028/2029 Delivery Year that are scheduled to be
finalized in February 2027.
These updates will produce an Initial RBP Target that reflects the most current load
and resource assumptions available when the RBP is conducted and, therefore, more
accurately measures the UCAP MW capacity shortfall for the 2028/2029 Delivery Year
that the RBP is intended to address.
Further, as a preventative measure so that a zone/area is not allocated costs beyond
its respective Large Load demand, PJM is proposing to update the Initial RBP Target to
equal the lesser of the calculated value of the 2028/2029 Delivery Year shortage and the
region-wide total of Large Load MW reported to PJM by Electric Distributors. This
approach prevents zone/areas from being assessed a greater share of the capacity shortfall
than its expected Large Load growth. As PJM’s senior manager of market design, Ms.
Croop explains, this approach “provides an important safeguard by accounting for the
possibility that previously reported Large Load agreements may be canceled between the
collection of data for the 2027 Load Forecast and the establishment of the RBP.”139 In
other words, capping the Initial RBP Target at the Large Load MW quantity that is reported
by Electric Distributors will ensure that RBP costs do not exceed the Large Load growth
reported for the applicable zone/area to align with the principles of cost causation and
beneficiary pays.140
139 Croop Aff. ¶ 6.
140 Id.
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To effectuate this update, PJM proposes discrete updates to Tariff, Attachment DD,
section 18.1(a), as shown below:
The Initial RBP Target shall be a region-wide value equal to the
lesser of the (1) most up to date UCAP MW quantity that PJM
cleared short of the PJM Region Reliability Requirement for the
2028/2029 Delivery Year Base Residual Auction or (2) the UCAP
equivalent of the aggregate region-wide Large Load MW quantity
reported by the Electric Distributor in accordance with Tariff,
Attachment DD, section 18.3A. Specifically, the Initial RBP Target
shall equal the lesser of ([the latest estimate of the PJM Region
Reliability Requirement for the 2028/2029 Delivery Year,
calculated as the RTO Region Peak Load Forecast for the
2028/2029 Delivery Year from the 2027 Load Forecast times the
2028/2029 Forecast Pool Requirement from the updated planning
parameters available at the commencement of the RBP, less the
sum of all updated Unforced Capacity Obligations of FRR Entities
in the PJM Region] minus [the UCAP-equivalent of the ICAP
quantity of Capacity Resources that cleared in the 2028/2029 Base
Residual Auction using the latest capacity accreditation factors for
the 2028/2029 Delivery Year available at the commencement of the
RBP], the aggregate region-wide Large Load MW reported by the
Electric Distributor in accordance with Tariff, Attachment DD,
section 18.3A times the most recent 2028/2029 Forecast Pool
Requirement).
Although PJM considered using the 2029/2030 Delivery Year to establish the
Initial RBP Target, PJM determined that doing so could drive additional market
uncertainty. Utilizing the shortfall from the 2028/2029 Base Residual Auction is consistent
with the underlying intent of the RBP to address the nearer-term reliability need while
allowing market fundamentals to address the longer-term resource adequacy.141 Indeed,
PJM has already initiated its Powering Reliability Through Market Design initiative with
stakeholders to pursue longer-term market design reforms aimed at improving investment
and retention signals to support resource adequacy.
141 Croop Aff. ¶ 7.
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More fundamentally, the RBP was developed to address the capacity shortfall
identified for the 2028/2029 Delivery Year. The RBP’s procurement target, eligibility
requirements, timelines, and other design elements were all established with that shortfall
in mind. If PJM were to instead base the Initial RBP Target on the results of the 2029/2030
Base Residual Auction, PJM would need to reevaluate and potentially modify numerous
aspects of the RBP construct to align with a different procurement need many of which
market participants have already prepared for or made decisions around. Moreover,
maintaining the existing design promotes certainty, preserves stakeholder expectations,
and avoids unnecessary disruption to the market.142 Accordingly, PJM proposes to retain
the 2028/2029 Delivery Year as the basis for the Initial RBP Target while updating the
underlying load and resource inputs to reflect the most current information available when
the RBP is conducted.
G.
PJM Proposes to Update Must-Offer and Binding Notice of Intent Rules
for Committed RBP Resources.
As PJM originally proposed, and the Commission accepted, a committed RBP
Resource must offer its available capacity, up to the total quantity of committed RBP
UCAP MW, into the RPM Auctions as a price taker, i.e., $0/MW-day UCAP, beginning
with the first RPM Auction following the RBP commitment, for the applicable offered
Delivery Year in which the term of the committed RBP UCAP MW begins and continuing
each subsequent Delivery Year through the end of the fixed, 15-year term.143 PJM is not
proposing any changes to the overall framework of this requirement in this filing.
142 Croop Aff. ¶ 8.
143 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.6(a).
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However, given that the RBP is now anticipated to commence on March 1, 2027, with final
commitments awarded in early May 2027, PJM is updating rules pertaining to when a RBP
Resource must first be offered into the RPM Auctions and the associated rules pertaining
to the binding notice of intent. Specifically, PJM is making clear that any committed RBP
Resource will be required to be offered into the RPM Auction associated with the first
Delivery Year that such resource has an RBP commitment and is expected to be in
service.144 That must offer obligation, regardless of resource type, will continue through
the end of the term of the RBP commitment.
The only exception to this general rule is that if an RBP Resource has a commitment
beginning with the 2030/2031 Delivery Year and is not the subject of a notice of intent to
be offered into the Base Residual Auction for the 2030/2031 Delivery Year, such
committed RBP Resource would be required to be offered into the next RPM Auction to
the extent such resource has an RBP commitment and is expected to be in service for the
relevant Delivery Year.145 This limited exception is necessary because a Planned
Generation Capacity Resource that is not the subject of a notice of intent to offer would
not have been included in the planning parameters for the 2030/2031 Base Residual
Auction. For future auctions, committed RBP Resources would not be required to submit
binding notices of intent to offer because PJM will know which resources have an RBP
144 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.6(a); proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 6.6(j); Tariff,
Attachment DD, section 6.6A(e).
145 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.6(a); proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 6.6(j);
proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 6.6A(e); Tariff, Attachment DD, section 5.5(b).
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Debbie-Anne Reese, Secretary
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commitment and automatically include those resources in the planning models for the
relevant Delivery Years.146
IV.
REQUEST
FOR
WAIVER
OF
TARIFF,
ATTACHMENT
DD,
SECTIONS 16.2 AND 16.3
Under the Tariff provisions approved in the September 29 Order, a Reliability
Backstop Auction is triggered if, for three consecutive Delivery Years, the Base Residual
Auction “equates to an installed reserve margin that is more than one percentage point
lower than the approved PJM Region Installed Reserve Margin.”147 The Base Residual
Auctions for the 2027/2028 and 2028/2029 Delivery Years resulted in an installed reserve
margin that was more than one percentage point lower than the approved PJM Region
Installed Reserve Margin.148 The Base Residual Auction associated with the 2029/2030
Delivery Year could potentially clear short as well. Should that occur, the current Tariff
would require PJM to “declare a capacity shortage and make a filing with FERC for
approval to conduct a Reliability Backstop Auction.”149 Additionally, the Tariff also calls
146 See proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 5.5(b)
147 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 16.2.
148 See 2027/2028 Base Residual Auction Reserve Target Shortfall Report, PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 1
(Feb. 9, 2026), https://www.pjm.com/-/media/DotCom/markets-ops/rpm/rpm-auction-info/2027-2028/2027-
2028-bra-reserve-target-shortfall-report.pdf [https://perma.cc/TA3Y-95AX] (“2027/2028 BRA Report”)
(“PJM Interconnection cleared the 2027/2028 Base Residual Auction with a reserve margin that is more than
one percentage point below the Installed Reserve Margin target, and with total Unforced Capacity of all Base
Load Generation Resources less than the forecasted minimum hourly load. This confirmed shortfall
constitutes a triggering event as defined in the PJM Tariff, mandating an investigation to determine the root
causes of the region’s failure to secure sufficient resource adequacy.”); 2028/2029 Base Residual Auction
Reserve Target Shortfall Report, PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 3 (July 14, 2026), https://www.pjm.com/-
/media/DotCom/markets-ops/rpm/rpm-auction-info/2028-2029/2028-2029-reliability-backstop-baseload-
generation-check.pdf (“2028/2029 BRA Report”).
149 Tariff, Attachment DD, sections 16.3(a)(i)-(ii).
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for PJM to “investigate the cause for clearing short of the reliability requirement and to
recommend corrective action.”150
Because the RBP effectively fulfills the same purpose as the Reliability Backstop
Auction called for in Tariff, Attachment DD, section 16, in the July 31 Filing, PJM
proposed to reset the timeframe for triggering a Reliability Backstop Auction and the
investigation into the triggering shortfalls to the restart “with the 2032/2033 Delivery Year
and thereafter.”151 The September 29 Order accepted and suspended this change effective
February 28, 2027.152
Given that these accepted revisions do not become effective until February 28,
2027, to the extent the 2029/2030 Base Residual Auction, held in December 2026, clears
short of the reliability requirement, the currently effective Tariff would require PJM to
“investigate the cause for the shortage, and recommend corrective action,”153 but such
investigation would then cease once the accepted tariff records become effective. Because
the RBP is designed to address the shortfall and to avoid an unnecessary expense of
resources, PJM requests waiver of the obligation in Tariff, Attachment DD, section 16.2 to
perform such investigation.
The Commission will grant waiver of tariff provisions where: (1) the applicant
acted in good faith; (2) the waiver is of limited scope; (3) the waiver addresses a concrete
problem; and (4) the waiver does not have undesirable consequences, such as harm to third
150 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 16.2.
151 July 31 Filing, Attachment B at proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, sections 16.2, 16.3(a)(i)-(ii).
152 See September 29 Order, 196 FERC ¶ 61,245 at P 1 n.3 & Appendix A; ordering para. (A).
153 Tariff, Attachment DD, section 16.2.
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parties.154 This one-time prospective waiver satisfies all four of the Commission’s waiver
criteria.
First, the waiver request is being submitted in good faith. As noted above, such
investigation is unnecessary and would needlessly expend scarce resources. PJM has
already issued two reports detailing the causes of the shortfall from the 2027/2028 and
2028/2029 Base Residual Auctions.155 Given that many of the same supply constraints and
load growth remains for the 2029/2030 Delivery Year, it is unlikely that further
investigation will discover different reasons for the current resource adequacy position.
Additionally, this FPA section 205 filing proposes to commence the RBP on March 1,
2027, which is designed as a stop-gap measure to address the expected resource adequacy
shortfall that would be duplicative of a Reliability Backstop Auction. Moreover, PJM is
already actively engaged with stakeholders through its “Powering Reliability Through
Markets” discussions designed to formulate updated market rules that will more efficiently
and effectively provide resource adequacy for the PJM Region.156
Second, the waiver request is of limited scope. PJM seeks a one-time waiver of
Tariff, Attachment DD, sections 16.2 and 16.3 upon completion of the 2029/2030 Base
Residual Auction in the event such auction clears short. Third, the waiver request
addresses a concrete problem—the obligation to conduct an investigation into the cause of
154 PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., 191 FERC ¶ 61,202, at P 14 (2025) (citing waiver standards and allowing
tariff waiver to implement equitable relief in light of certain tariff provisions); see Midcontinent Indep. Sys.
Operator, Inc., 154 FERC ¶ 61,059, at P 13 (2016) (same).
155 See 2027/2028 BRA Report; 2028/2029 BRA Report.
156 Powering Reliability Through Market Design Workshops, PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.,
https://www.pjm.com/committees-and-groups/workshops/prtmdw
[https://perma.cc/6K9W-YRL8]
(last
visited Oct. 28, 2026).
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Debbie-Anne Reese, Secretary
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the shortage and recommend corrective actions. As noted, this is appropriate given that
PJM will already be conducting the RBP on March 1, 2027, and conducting a Reliability
Backstop Auction right after the RBP is not necessary. Further, another investigation will
likely yield the same conclusions as the two recent reports. Fourth, granting the waiver
request will not have undesirable consequences, such as harm to third parties. There is no
need to conduct such investigation or to recommend corrective measures. PJM is already
going to hold the RBP to procure new capacity.
In short, the waiver request satisfies all four elements for waiver of the Tariff, and
PJM asks that the Commission grant the waiver request.
V.
STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION
As required by Tariff, section 9.2(b), PJM consulted the Members Committee and
the Transmission Owners on October 22, 2026, seven days prior to submitting this filing.157
In addition, PJM also consulted with the Transmission Owners on October 22, 2026, in
accordance with the Consolidated Transmission Owners Agreement, section 7.5.1(ii).158
This filing includes feedback and suggestions from stakeholders during that consultation
that PJM found meritorious.
VI.
PROPOSED EFFECTIVE DATES AND UPDATED RBP TIMING
As noted above, PJM now anticipates commencing the RBP on March 1, 2027,
provided the Commission accepts the Tariff revisions proposed herein. This
157
Special
Members
Committee,
Agenda,
PJM
Interconnection,
L.L.C.
(Oct.
22,
2026),
https://www.pjm.com/-/media/DotCom/committees-groups/committees/mc/2026/20261022-
special/agenda.pdf [https://perma.cc/4F23-H5QB].
158 Transmission Owners Agreement-Administrative Committee, PJM TOA-AC Open-Session, Special
Session
Agenda,
PJM
Interconnection,
L.L.C.
(Oct.
22,
2026),
https://www.pjm.com/-
/media/DotCom/committees-groups/committees/toa-ac/2026/20261022/20261022-agenda.pdf
[https://perma.cc/XEK9-UE59].
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Debbie-Anne Reese, Secretary
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commencement date aligns with the Commission’s determination to suspend the RBP rules
until February 28, 2027, as March 1, 2027, is the first business day on which those rules,
as revised in this filing, would be effective. PJM considered whether the RBP could
commence earlier than March 1, 2027. However, an earlier commencement would not
provide sufficient time to incorporate the most current load forecast and capacity
accreditation factors, each of which is expected to become available in or around February
2027 and is necessary to calculate an updated Initial RBP Target. Commencing the RBP
on March 1, 2027, therefore provides PJM with the opportunity to employ the most current
data available while remaining consistent with the Commission’s established effective date
for the RBP framework.
In addition, PJM is proposing to extend the RBP Sell Offer window by one week
so that it will be open for a total of four weeks.159 One additional week of the offer window
will allow PJM to commence the RBP on March 1, 2027, while providing developers of
projects in PJM’s cycle 01 interconnection the opportunity to view the study results from
phase 1 of the interconnection cycle study, which is currently scheduled to be posted by
March 26, 2027.160 Relatedly, PJM is specifying that if the most current PJM study is
available, such study may be used in lieu of an independent consultant report that details
the study information and project timeline to support the expected commercial operation
date of an RBP Resource.161
159 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.4.
160
See
Cycle
Timeline,
PJM
Interconnection,
L.L.C.,
https://www.pjm.com/planning
[https://perma.cc/AL65-9ALQ] (last visited Oct. 28, 2026).
161 Proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.5(f).
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Further, given that, as discussed in Part II.A, PJM is proposing a new Tariff,
Attachment DD, section 18.3A to require for Electric Distributors to report Large Load
MW quantities to PJM no later than seven days prior to the commencement of the RBP.
An effective date earlier than February 28, 2027, is necessary to afford Electric Distributors
time to review the Commission’s order, understand the requirement, gather the requisite
information, and report it to PJM. Accordingly, PJM is proposing a January 29, 2027
effective date for proposed Tariff, Attachment DD, section 18.3A. However, the
Commission should not feel constrained to wait until January 29, 2027, to issue an order
on the proposed RBP rules, but should feel free to issue an order whenever it feels
appropriate before January 29, 2027.
Finally, PJM respectfully requests that the Commission issue an order on all aspects
of this filing no later than January 29, 2027. A Commission order by that date would
provide PJM and market participants with sufficient certainty regarding the applicable RBP
rules and facilitate orderly administration of the RBP beginning on March 1, 2027.
Accordingly, while PJM requests an effective date of February 28, 2027, for most of the
substantive Tariff revisions proposed herein, PJM further requests that the Commission act
on this filing no later than January 29, 2027, to provide the advance notice necessary for
efficient administration of the RBP.
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VII.
DESCRIPTION OF SUBMITTAL
This filing consists of the following:
1. This transmittal letter;
2. Attachment A – Revisions to the Tariff, in redline format;
3. Attachment B – Revisions to the Tariff, in clean format;
4. Attachment C – Affidavit of Gwen Kelly; and
5. Attachment D – Affidavit of Danielle Croop.
VIII. CORRESPONDENCE
The following individuals are designated for inclusion on the official service list in
this proceeding and for receipt of any communications regarding this filing:
Craig Glazer
Vice President – Federal Government Policy
PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.
1200 G Street, N.W., Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 423-4743
craig.glazer@pjm.com
Chenchao Lu
Associate General Counsel
PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.
2750 Monroe Boulevard
Audubon, PA 19403
(610) 666-2255
chenchao.lu@pjm.com
Ryan J. Collins
Vivian W. Chum
Wright & Talisman, P.C.
1200 G Street, N.W., Suite 600
Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 393-1200 (phone)
collins@wrightlaw.com
chum@wrightlaw.com
IX.
SERVICE
PJM has served a copy of this filing on all PJM Members and on all state utility
regulatory commissions in the PJM Region by posting this filing electronically. In
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accordance with the Commission’s regulations,162 PJM will post a copy of this filing to the
Commission filings section of its internet site, located at the following link:
https://www.pjm.com/library/filing-order with a specific link to the newly filed document,
and will send an e-mail on the same date as this filing to all PJM Members and all state
utility regulatory commissions in the PJM Region163 alerting them that this filing has been
made by PJM and is available by following such link. If the document is not immediately
available by using the referenced link, the document will be available through the
referenced link within 24 hours of the filing. Also, a copy of this filing will be available
on
the
Commission’s
eLibrary
website
located
at
the
following
link:
http://www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/elibrary.asp in accordance with the Commission’s
regulations and Order No. 714.164
162 See 18 C.F.R. §§ 35.2(e), 385.2010(f)(3).
163 PJM already maintains, updates and regularly uses e-mail lists for all PJM Members and affected state
commissions.
164 Electronic Tariff Filings, Order No. 714, 124 FERC ¶ 61,270 (2008), final rule, Order No. 714-A, 147
FERC ¶ 61,115 (2014).
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X.
CONCLUSION
Based on the foregoing, PJM respectfully requests that the Commission accept the
proposed Tariff revisions as discussed herein and effective as proposed.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Chenchao Lu
Craig Glazer
Vice President – Federal Government Policy
PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.
1200 G Street, N.W., Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 423-4743
craig.glazer@pjm.com
Chenchao Lu
Associate General Counsel
PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.
2750 Monroe Boulevard
Audubon, PA 19403
(610) 666-2255
chenchao.lu@pjm.com
Ryan J. Collins
Vivian W. Chum
Wright & Talisman, P.C.
1200 G Street, N.W., Suite 600
Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 393-1200 (phone)
collins@wrightlaw.com
chum@wrightlaw.com
On behalf of
PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.