PJM is considering holding a “test” meeting by the end of the year as it works toward returning to full in-person stakeholder meetings for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter to stakeholders, PJM CEO Manu Asthana said the RTO is still waiting until January for standing committees and senior standing committees to hold in-person meetings to “protect our people, our stakeholders and the security of the grid.” Asthana said remote attendance for all stakeholder meetings will also remain an option.

RTOs and ISOs across the country have been struggling to finalize plans for returning to workplaces and in-person meetings because of the unpredictable nature of the pandemic. (See COVID Resurgence Scrambles RTOs’ Return.)

Asthana said PJM received “mixed” feedback from a recent stakeholder survey, with some wanting to resume in-person meetings in the next few months and others preferring to wait until the start of 2022. He said the survey was also designed to understand corporate travel restrictions among stakeholders.

As a compromise for developing a meeting schedule, Asthana said, PJM is looking at the logistics of having a test in-person meeting before the end of the year. Asthana said PJM is also currently exploring options for an in-person Annual Meeting next year, but the RTO does not currently have a venue under contract for the event.

Asthana said the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus and rising infection rates are forcing changes in plans and monitoring. He said any current plans by PJM “could very well change” based upon guidance from its epidemiologist and other health officials, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Montgomery County Office of Public Health in Pennsylvania.

“Please know that we would like nothing more than to return to some level of normalcy, so that PJM employees can once again personally interface with our incredible stakeholder community,” Asthana said. “We hope that happens soon. However, the wellbeing of our employees and stakeholders, and the safety of the grid, must remain our highest priorities.”

Asthana also discussed vaccination protocols among PJM staff, saying the RTO is not mandating vaccinations for employees “at this time.” But he said the RTO is “strongly encouraging” staff to be vaccinated.

Vaccination discussions among stakeholders have been going on for several months at meetings, with members expressing both the pros and cons of mandatory vaccinations. (See “COVID-19 Update,” PJM Operating Committee Briefs: Aug. 12, 2021.)

“We know through voluntary employee reporting that a relatively high percentage of our people are vaccinated at this point, and we’re fortunate that our surrounding community, Montgomery County, also has relatively high levels of vaccination among the eligible population. Additionally, we have implemented multiple safety protocols on our campuses to help provide a safe work environment for our people.

PJM recently concluded a three-week return-to-campus pilot program for some employees, Asthana said. The volunteer program tested PJM’s readiness and COVID-19 protocols to “identify best practices that will inform our phased return-to-campus plan,” Asthana said, which is still anticipated to start in the fall.