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Google thinks AI can untangle the electrical grid’s bureaucracy
There has been significant angst among tech companies and policymakers regarding a looming power shortage on the grid due in part to the rise of AI. However, what is less well-known is that there are vast amounts of new capacity waiting to be approved for connection to the grid, and streamlining the bureaucracy could significantly contribute to resolving this issue.
All U.S. grid operators face similar backlogs, but none as substantial as that of PJM, which manages the flow of electricity in the mid-Atlantic states, Ohio, and eastern Kentucky. In a recent announcement, Google partnered with PJM to develop AI models that will simplify key aspects of the application process on both sides of the transaction. They aim to enhance data verification, enable projects to be submitted through new centralized planning tools, which will also aid PJM in analyzing how best to integrate variable power sources like renewables.
As computing demand from AI has surged, tech companies have been racing to secure generating capacity. Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft have either invested in or committed to purchasing substantial amounts of nuclear power. They have also been steadily procuring solar power in large quantities. The interconnection issue is indeed complex, but solving it could alleviate concerns regarding underpowered data centers.
Nationally, a staggering 2.6 terawatts of generating capacity are waiting for approval, according to the Lawrence Berkeley Lab. This is more than double what every U.S. power plant combined can generate today. PJM’s queue is by far the longest.
There are over 3,000 active requests to connect 286.7 gigawatts of capacity in the region, as per the Berkeley Lab. In response to this backlog, PJM stopped accepting applications for new connections in 2022 and will not review any further requests until mid-2026.
Renewable energy sources have been disproportionately impacted by the sluggish process. Nationally, over 1 terawatt each of solar and storage are waiting for permission to send electrons to the grid. Even PJM’s managed grid, which is not typically regarded as a hotbed for renewable development, is dominated by these clean power sources: a mere 2.4% of applicants are natural gas power plants.
PJM has historically been controlled by fossil fuels. Over the past decade or so, natural gas-fired power plants have displaced coal as fracking drove down gas prices. PJM recently developed a new approval process that critics argue allows fossil fuel-based power plants to unfairly bypass the line ahead of renewable projects.
In announcing the partnership with Google, PJM Executive Vice President Aftab Khan emphasized that the organization’s grid will remain “fuel-agnostic.” Meanwhile, Google spokesperson Amanda Peterson Corio insisted that her company is “committed to our goals to decarbonize our electricity footprint.”
Google and PJM aim to use AI models to simplify the approval process for new energy projects.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/10/google-thinks-ai-can-untangle-the-electrical-grids-bureaucracy/
