PJM has updated its thinking on the design of its reliability backstop procurement to meet rising data center load, gravitating toward a model in which the RTO would determine the amount of capacity to be purchased and act as the administrator and counterparty to the resulting agreements.

PJM and stakeholders laid out their initial thoughts on the structure of the in-development reliability backstop procurement as the RTO looks to meet a September target set out by the White House and all 13 member states’ governors.