Naureen S. Malik 和 Dan Murtaugh 报道：美国能源监管机构接受了该国最大电网运营商的一项计划，但同时决定暂停该计划。该计划旨在加速增加电力供应，以应对数据中心需求激增导致的区域电力短缺。
By Naureen S. Malik and Dan Murtaugh US energy regulators accepted but suspended a plan by the country’s biggest electric grid to accelerate the addition of new power supply in a region struggling to meet demand from data centers. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Tuesday that it would accept the filing of grid operator PJM Interconnection LLC’s plan to procure new capacity but would suspend it until Feb. 28 and establish a paper hearing on unresolved issues.
美国联邦能源监管委员会（FERC）周二表示，将接受电网运营商 PJM Interconnection LLC 关于采购新产能的计划备案，但会将其暂停至 2 月 28 日，并就未决问题进行书面听证。监管机构还鼓励 PJM 提交一份能够解决所提问题的新备案，这可能会缩短延迟时间。PJM 发言人未在正常工作时间外立即回应置评请求。
The regulator also encouraged PJM to submit a new filing that answers the issues it raised, which could shorten the delay. A PJM spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal working hours. The artificial intelligence boom is driving the fastest growth in power demand in decades for PJM, which is home to the biggest US concentration of digital warehouses.
人工智能的繁荣正推动 PJM 迎来几十年来最快的电力需求增长，该地区拥有美国最集中的数据中心集群。监管机构认同 PJM 需要迅速增加发电量，并批准了该运营商计划中的许多部分，但表示在推进之前，必须先解决成本分摊、抵押品和退出规则等问题。
The regulator agreed PJM needs more generation quickly and approved many parts of the operator’s plan, but said cost allocation, collateral and exit-rule issues need to be fixed before it can proceed. “This Commission will not be forced into accepting a deeply flawed, 11th-hour procurement mechanism with billion-dollar implications for consumers,” Commission Chairperson Laura Swett said in the order.
委员会主席劳拉·斯威特（Laura Swett）在命令中表示：“本委员会不会被迫接受一种存在严重缺陷、且在最后一刻才提出的采购机制，这种机制对消费者有着数十亿美元的影响。我们准备迅速对后续提案采取行动，只要该提案能解决本命令中提出的关切并符合《联邦电力法》的标准。该地区的可靠性正处于关键时刻。”
“We are prepared to promptly act on a subsequent proposal that addresses the concerns raised in this order and meets the standards of the Federal Power Act. The region’s reliability hangs in the balance.”
PJM 在满足需求增长方面的困境促使特朗普政府呼吁进行改革。特别是 FERC 在近几个月来一直致力于推动改革。州长、公用事业公司和投资者也批评了 PJM 对人工智能热潮的应对措施。
PJM’s struggle to keep up with demand growth prompted the Trump administration to call for changes. The FERC, in particular, in recent months has been pushing for reforms. State governors, utilities and investors have also criticized PJM’s response to the AI boom.
为了解决这些担忧，PJM 计划举行一次性拍卖，以弥补 6.8 吉瓦的电力缺口。在今年早些时候的一次拍卖中，PJM 未能获得足够的承诺来满足高峰用电日的电力需求。
In an effort to address those concerns, PJM plans to hold a one-time auction to cover a 6.8-gigawatt shortfall. In an earlier auction this year, it failed to attract sufficient commitments to satisfy power demand on peak-usage days.
今年早些时候，特朗普政府提议进行一次一次性拍卖，并要求签订为期15年的合同（而非每年续签的合同）。根据电网监管机构 Monitoring Analytics 的分析，PJM 的提案存在争议——因为如果数据中心发生故障，其他用户将不得不承担相应的费用。
Early this year, the Trump administration pushed for a one-time auction with 15-year instead of annual contracts. PJM’s proposal is contentious because other consumers would bear the costs in the event of data center failures, according to Monitoring Analytics, the grid’s independent watchdog.
“现有客户不应被迫承担因新增需求而产生的费用，”监管专员林赛·西（Lindsay See）在相关命令中明确表示。
“Existing customers should not be left paying costs attributable to new demand,” Commissioner Lindsay See said in the order.