Data Centers, PJM, and Natural Gas—a Rubik's Cube

It is no secret that the Northeast US is experiencing significant growth in power demand, from Virginia to New England. Much of this growth results from the proliferation of data centers requiring vast amounts of perfectly reliable electricity. In my January 2026 column, I took a more specific look at the Northeast, including New England and New York, and explored the growth, including data center activity in the Boston area and efforts to provide necessary natural gas supply. However, the largest data center‐driven growth is occurring in the Mid‐Atlantic portion of Northeast power and gas‐consuming markets, emanating from the birthplace of the boom in Northern Virginia. In other words, it is in the Pennsylvania–New Jersey–Maryland (PJM) Interconnection, the regional transmission organization (RTO) that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia.