Pennsylvania’s Fast-Track PJM Selections: Batteries Lead, but Selection Is Not Operation

What changed

Pennsylvania announced on November 5 that three projects in the state had been selected for PJM’s Expedited Interconnection Track, a temporary process intended to study certain large, advanced projects faster than the ordinary interconnection queue. The state identifies two proposed battery-storage facilities and an expansion of an existing natural-gas plant.

The Pennsylvania release lists French Creek Storage in Crawford County at 860 megawatts, the Sammis battery project in Beaver County at 500 megawatts, and a Hunterstown gas-plant expansion in Adams County adding 367 megawatts. Together, those state figures total about 1.7 gigawatts. The state says the projects target service by mid-2029, but that is an expected schedule, not proof that construction, permitting, financing or grid upgrades are complete.

What expedited review actually means

Interconnection is the process for determining whether and how a power project can connect safely to the transmission grid. It can require engineering studies, network upgrades, agreements and substantial payments. The expedited track operates alongside PJM’s normal study cycles and is designed for large projects supported by a state authority that can help accelerate siting and permitting.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepted the temporary track in June. It allows up to ten qualifying requests per calendar year in 2026 and 2027. FERC Commissioner David Rosner emphasized that the order itself would not build the projects: developers and states would still need to complete financing, procurement, permitting and construction. Selection therefore does not provide a construction permit, a completed interconnection agreement or permission to operate.

What Pennsylvania selected

French Creek and Sammis are described as battery-storage projects. A grid battery does not generate electricity; it charges from another source and later releases electricity. Batteries can respond quickly and move energy from one time of day to another, but their practical contribution depends on power, duration, charging source, operating rules and availability when the grid needs them.

Hunterstown is different. It would expand an existing natural-gas generating facility. The administration presents all three resources as part of an all-of-the-above reliability strategy. That mix may add dispatchable capacity, but battery storage and gas generation have different fuel, emissions, operating and permitting profiles. They should not be discussed as if they were one technology.

Why this matters to solar

Storage can complement solar by charging when electricity is abundant and discharging later, including after sunset or during a high-demand period. That can reduce curtailment and make variable generation more useful to the grid. But Pennsylvania’s announcement does not establish that either proposed battery will charge only from solar, nor does it prove a specific emissions result.

For a battery project, customers and regulators should ask about energy duration in megawatt-hours, not only the megawatt power rating. They should also ask how it will charge, when it will discharge, what interconnection upgrades are required and how market revenues or contracts support the project. None of those questions is answered simply by entering an expedited study track.

Claims about bills need evidence

The Shapiro administration says faster interconnection can strengthen reliability and put downward pressure on costs. Adding dependable capacity can reduce scarcity, but the November 5 release does not provide a project-specific customer-bill analysis for these three projects.

The release also cites a separate projected regional household benefit associated with a capacity-market price cap. That estimate should not be treated as savings created by French Creek, Sammis or Hunterstown. A selected project can still face changed network-upgrade costs, permit conditions, financing problems, schedule delays or cancellation. The honest customer message is that possible system benefits remain forecasts until the projects operate and market results can be measured.

What This Means for Solar Customers and the Industry

For homeowners, the announcement does not change rooftop-solar prices, net-metering rules, tax eligibility or a utility bill today. It does show that the regional grid is seeking resources that can contribute during constrained hours. A homeowner considering a battery should ask which circuits it can support, its usable energy, continuous and surge power, expected operating mode, warranty limits and whether it can provide backup during an outage.

For commercial customers, hourly load shape matters more than annual consumption alone. A battery may help with resilience, peak-demand management or participation in utility programs, but those uses require separate engineering and financial analysis. Tower Solar’s calculator is a preliminary planning tool; a commercial project still needs interval-usage data, site engineering, utility rules and a verified proposal.

For developers, the expedited process rewards projects that are advanced enough to meet demanding schedules and have state support. The practical questions are whether site control, permits, equipment supply, financing, network upgrades and revenue arrangements can align. A faster grid study can reduce one bottleneck without eliminating the others.

The 2027 window is already taking shape

Pennsylvania has also opened a request for information for projects that may seek state sponsorship in the 2027 expedited window. The Pennsylvania Bulletin says prospective generation or storage projects must demonstrate development capability and likely eligibility under the tariff. The notice describes a possible early-January opening but says PJM had not announced a specific date when the notice was issued.

Developers should treat that as planning information, not a guaranteed filing date or award. The state request is an information-gathering and sponsorship process. It is not a procurement contract, permit or interconnection agreement.

Questions to ask next

Watch for executed interconnection agreements, final capacity and energy-duration data for the batteries, identified network upgrades, permitting milestones, construction notices and revised commercial-operation dates. Ask whether cost estimates include the upgrades assigned through the interconnection study and whether the project has a credible revenue or offtake plan.

The verified fact today is limited but important: three Pennsylvania projects have entered the expedited pathway with state support. The forecast is that they could add substantial storage and generation by 2029. The outcome remains conditional until agreements, permits, financing, construction and testing are complete.