The Data Center Daily

DOE Tells FERC Data Centers Must Pay for PJM's 6.8 GW Gap

Saturday, October 10, 2026 · 8 min

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PJM's stalled 6.8 GW backstop procurement drew a rare DOE filing at FERC insisting data centers, not existing ratepayers, carry the cost. Applied Digital tied Polaris Forge 3 to a related-party 1.2 GW gas plant, and Duke's clean transition tariff still sits unfiled.

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PJM's stalled 6.8 GW backstop procurement drew a rare DOE filing at FERC insisting data centers, not existing ratepayers, carry the cost. Applied Digital tied Polaris Forge 3 to a related-party 1.2 GW gas plant, and Duke's clean transition tariff still sits unfiled.

In this episode

  1. PJM Data Center Power Demand: DOE Pushes FERC on Costs — Discovery Alert
    “The US Department of Energy (DOE) told federal regulators on Wednesday, 7 October 2026 that PJM Interconnection must rework its stalled 6.8 GW backstop procurement so that data centres, not existing customers, pay for the power they need. According to Utility Dive’s Ethan…”
  2. Applied Digital signs a 15-year power deal with a planned 1,200 MW gas plant for its Polaris Forge 3 campus, from a developer run by its own executives | Colocation Scout — Colocation Scout
    “Applied Digital disclosed in its quarterly report filed October 7, 2026 that on October 4 it signed a power purchase agreement and a credit support agreement with Base Electron for capacity and energy from an approximately 1,200 MW natural gas plant that Base Electron plans to…”
  3. What happened to Duke’s clean transition tariff? — Latitude Media
    “That original announcement was made with much fanfare at a White House summit. But over two years later, it still hasn’t led to a formal tariff proposal. The next time Duke itself mentioned a CTT in an official proceeding was February 2026, when the idea resurfaced in a…”