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MD — Power Infrastructure Updated 2026-01-08

Maryland

PJM Natural Gas Nuclear Wind Solar Storage Queue Bottlenecks Transmission Constraints

Overview

Maryland sits at the center of the PJM grid’s load growth crisis. The state is planning offshore wind projects totaling over 2 GW, evaluating new nuclear and natural gas capacity from Constellation, and racing to upgrade transmission infrastructure to handle data center demand spilling in from neighboring Northern Virginia. With coal retirements accelerating and summer peak growth projected as high as 9.8% annually in some zones, Maryland’s power buildout is as much about reliability as it is about clean energy.

Generation Projects

Natural Gas

Constellation has proposed over 700 MW of new gas-fired generation across six units, plus life extensions for more than 350 MW of existing peaking plants — part of a larger 5,800 MW generation-and-storage package offered to the state.[1]

Nuclear

Constellation is investigating new nuclear development in Maryland, building on the existing 1,756 MWe Calvert Cliffs plant, with advanced reactor designs under consideration for future deployment.[1][2]

Wind

Maryland’s offshore wind buildout is the largest on the East Coast outside of Massachusetts and New York.

  • US Wind Maryland Offshore Wind Project: The Maryland PSC awarded offshore renewable energy credits (ORECs) supporting 1,056 MW, tied to a four-phase 1,710 MW project in federal waters.[3]
  • Skipjack Wind: Ørsted is repositioning this 966 MW project off the Delmarva coast for future offtake opportunities after pausing development.[4]

Solar

  • Harkins Lane Solar (Cecil County): A 5 MW AC array under review by the Maryland PSC as of January 2025.[5]

Transmission and Grid

Maryland is building transmission to address two intersecting pressures: coal retirements that threaten reliability and data center load growth bleeding in from PJM’s high-demand zones.

  • BGE Brandon Shores Retirement Mitigation Project: Multi-segment 500 kV and 230 kV upgrades across several corridors to replace capacity lost from coal plant shutdowns.[6]
  • Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (PJM Window 3): A $390 million transmission package driven by load growth in neighboring PJM zones, including data centers in Northern Virginia.[10]
  • DPL Piney Grove to New Church (Eastern Shore): Delmarva Power & Light plans to rebuild 20.7 miles of 138 kV line to 230 kV standards.[7]
  • PE Carroll to Germantown (Carroll County): Potomac Edison proposes an 11.3-mile rebuild of an existing 138 kV line with a new 230 kV circuit and substation expansion.[8]

PJM’s 2024 Regional Transmission Expansion Plan (RTEP) allocated roughly $399 million to Maryland and D.C. projects, signaling a steady pipeline of grid upgrades.[9]

Battery Storage

Constellation’s proposal includes up to 800 MW of utility-scale battery storage, positioning Maryland as a potential leader in PJM’s battery buildout.[1] The state already operates a 2.5 MW / 9.74 MWh battery system in Chesapeake Beach, which Baltimore Gas and Electric deployed to manage winter peaks and defer distribution upgrades.[11]

Interconnection Queue

Maryland’s queue is dominated by storage and solar, reflecting both the state’s clean energy mandates and the economics of battery storage in PJM’s capacity market.

  • Storage leads new requests: Battery storage accounts for 53% of new interconnection requests in Maryland and D.C., with solar at 27%.[9]
  • Steep load growth projections: PJM forecasts summer peak load growth ranging from 0.2% to 9.8% annually over the next decade, depending on the transmission zone.[9]
  • Capacity turnover pressures: PJM reports 239 MW of generation deactivated in 2024 and another 108.9 MW scheduled for retirement, tightening near-term planning margins.[9]

What to Watch

  • Constellation’s 5,800 MW proposal: Whether Maryland regulators approve any or all of Constellation’s natural gas, nuclear, and storage capacity offers will set the state’s generation trajectory for the next decade.
  • Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project approval: This $390 million transmission package is a bellwether for how Maryland handles data center-driven load growth spilling in from PJM’s hottest zones.
  • Offshore wind OREC economics: With Ørsted pausing Skipjack Wind and US Wind moving forward, Maryland’s offshore wind buildout will test whether OREC pricing can sustain development in a post-IRA subsidy environment.

Sources

[1] Constellation Energy, “Constellation Offers Maryland a Menu of New Generation Options to Meet Rising Demand, Including 5,800 Megawatts of New Power Generation and Battery Storage,” press release, November 4, 2025, https://www.constellationenergy.com/newsroom/2025/11/constellation-offers-maryland-a-menu-of-new-generation-options-to-meet-rising-demand.html (accessed 2026-01-08).

[2] American Nuclear Society, “Constellation considers advanced nuclear in Maryland,” November 5, 2025, https://www.ans.org/news/2025-11-05/article-7520/constellation-considers-advanced-nuclear-in-maryland/ (accessed 2026-01-08).

[3] Maryland Public Service Commission, “Maryland PSC Awards Additional ORECs to US Wind” (press release PDF), January 24, 2025, https://www.psc.state.md.us/wp-content/uploads/MD-PSC-Awards-Additional-ORECs-to-US-Wind_01242025.pdf (accessed 2026-01-08).

[4] Ørsted, “Skipjack Wind to be repositioned for future offtake opportunities,” January 25, 2024, https://orsted.com/en/media/news/2024/01/skipjack-wind-to-be-repositioned-for-future-offtake-opportunities (accessed 2026-01-08).

[5] Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Power Plant Research Program, “Case 9775 Harkins Lane Solar Project Summary Sheet,” May 27, 2025, https://dnr.maryland.gov/pprp/Documents/Case-9775-Harkins-Lane-Solar-Project-Summary-Sheet.pdf (accessed 2026-01-08).

[6] Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Power Plant Research Program, “Case 9748 BGE Brandon Shores Retirement Mitigation Project Fact Sheet,” August 30, 2024, https://dnr.maryland.gov/pprp/Documents/Case-9748-BGE-Brandon-Shores-Project-Fact-Sheet-8-30-24.pdf (accessed 2026-01-08).

[7] Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Power Plant Research Program, “Case 9766 DPL Piney Grove to New Church Project Fact Sheet,” January 6, 2025, https://dnr.maryland.gov/pprp/Documents/Case-9766-DPL-Piney-Grove-to-New-Church-Project-Fact-Sheet-4-18-25.pdf (accessed 2026-01-08).

[8] Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Power Plant Research Program, “Case 9803 PE Carroll to Germantown Project Fact Sheet,” November 25, 2025, https://dnr.maryland.gov/pprp/Documents/9803-PE-Carroll-State-Line-Project-Fact-Sheet-11-25-25.pdf (accessed 2026-01-08).

[9] PJM Interconnection, “2024 Maryland and District of Columbia State Infrastructure Report (January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024),” June 2025, https://www.pjm.com/-/media/library/reports-notices/state-specific-reports/2024/maryland-and-dc.ashx (accessed 2026-01-08).

[10] Maryland Office of People’s Counsel, “Frequently Asked Questions about the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project,” August 8, 2024, https://opc.maryland.gov/Portals/0/Files/Publications/Others/Piedmont%20FAQs%2008082024%20FINAL.pdf (accessed 2026-01-08).

[11] pv magazine USA, “Baltimore Gas and Electric installs battery storage system to manage winter peaks,” March 1, 2024, https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/03/01/baltimore-gas-and-electric-installs-battery-storage-system-to-manage-winter-peaks/ (accessed 2026-01-08).