[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6471636,"mediaKeyId","5777856-081694b7c01a7bc2f897d4d01bb82bc8","parentId",5777856,"title","Pepco warns data centers can drive large new loads; proposes letters of credit and feasibility fees to limit ratepayer risk","audioSeconds",879,"startMs",3578000,"endMs",4457000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5777856-081694b7c01a7bc2f897d4d01bb82bc8&start=3578&end=4457","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5777856-081694b7c01a7bc2f897d4d01bb82bc8/thumbnail_3578000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6471636/Prince-Georges-County/Maryland/Pepco-warns-data-centers-can-drive-large-new-loads-proposes-letters-of-credit-and-feasibility-fees-to-limit-ratepayer-risk","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6471636-e6e290bc0e500c70783593eccbff9414/orig.mp4?Expires=1771119931&Signature=NlsHgmv~SlMMpDBYyUb6v1UfK87CxU1DIaSs8rO0o17LX~7lgPcfh2okG~aMO1w2c3TwvGEoGBp0GyS7D3yu5zWt7JZEESR7ft4gFNCucUbgi61F2-MpAzPuhLmyXKwWHK211rTGC9hAlPkQ858Y0eUOpvoRwucpMhmriq5420hHETmgElh00NNXhI5ohC5dQGZsDH982TrnsHK4azM96o25tQmXhM0ayQg1~fukDxS6nXVTQOdWLUHbr9WFeSq~eJts8bnA9vBOR-wlsj5vx89tI8UscCd-eVlqFTvzlqwVvQwXjAb8HaWnftapW-9UpNOVu2I1F5zu48~QRgAZDA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Prince George","date","2025-09-10T00:00:00Z","article","Mark Scurano, senior economic development manager for Pepco (an Exelon company), told the Qualified Data Center Task Force that large data center projects typically require extensive grid study and can trigger multi-year interconnection and infrastructure upgrades. \"Data centers are projected to require $6,700,000,000,000 in new investments internationally,\" Scurano said, and he cited U.S. data-center electricity figures that rose from about 58 gigawatts in 2014 to 176 GW in 2023, with forecasts that demand could increase substantially by 2028.

Nut graf: Pepco outlined procedural and financial protections designed to limit the risk that ratepayers bear the cost of transmission or distribution upgrades for projects that do not materialize, and described how studies and interconnection timelines can delay first power delivery by several years. The utility said it does not generate electricity, is regulated by state and federal agencies, and must assess impacts on the broader regional grid (PJM and neighboring utilities) when large loads cluster in a service area.

Scurano said Pepco treats proposals above roughly 50 megawatts as \"large load\" projects that require an initial feasibility study and, if pursued, advanced engineering and construction. He described two cost-control measures the company is implementing: a costly feasibility-study process (staff estimated study costs could approach $1,000,000 in some cases) and a Transmission Service Agreement (TSA) that requires a developer-provided letter of credit sized to a multi-year load-ramp projection. \"We then take that. We look at the potential rate of each 1 of those years and we tell them they need to have a letter of credit for 10 years' worth of that load ramp,\" Scurano said. He said the letter-of-credit requirement is intended to allow Pepco to recover the difference if a developer underutilizes or abandons a project after Pepco makes grid upgrades.

Pepco said it will not arbitrarily deny service: the company is a regulated transmission-and-distribution provider and must offer equitable access under tariffs, but it must also ensure that grid upgrades are paid for by the requesting customer or secured via the TSA. Scurano said that because of clustering and the growing number of large loads, some interconnections can take five to six years. He also said utilities are seeing more regional coordination needs and that PJM and FERC-level considerations matter for assessing whether generation and transmission capacity can meet projected demand.

Task force members asked technical and policy questions: whether banks would issue the letters of credit (Pepco said the requirement is new and large corporations will need to satisfy their own bank underwriters), how the TSA collateral would be structured (Pepco described the letter of credit as a bank instrument tied to the developer, rather than a lien on utility infrastructure), and whether the TSA is an industry best practice (Pepco said other utilities are exploring similar protections and that Pepco is an early adopter). Members raised concerns about potential greenhouse-gas consequences of increased power use and asked Pepco to participate in future public sessions; task force staff confirmed invitations to PJM and other agencies are pending.

Ending: Pepco's presentation framed the technical and commercial complexity of accommodating data centers on the grid and identified policies the utility believes can reduce the chance that ratepayers would subsidize stranded infrastructure. The task force asked staff to seek PJM and other technical agency participation at a future meeting and to include the utility's feasibility and TSA descriptions in the task force's report to the County Council.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Prince George - Qualified Data Center Task Force Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Pepco (Exelon) senior manager Mark Scurano briefed the task force on the company's review process for large electricity customers, described costs for feasibility studies and new transmission work, and said a new Transmission Service Agreement (TSA) model will require developer letters of credit to protect ratepayers from stranded infrastructure.","taxTitle","Prince George's County, Maryland","taxId",3378,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6471642,"Prince George's County task force reviews community feedback on data centers, emphasizes advisory role on Landover Mall proposal",5456,608000,6064000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5777856-081694b7c01a7bc2f897d4d01bb82bc8&start=608&end=6064","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5777856-081694b7c01a7bc2f897d4d01bb82bc8/thumbnail_608000.jpg","/articles/6471642/Prince-Georges-County/Maryland/Prince-Georges-County-task-force-reviews-community-feedback-on-data-centers-emphasizes-advisory-role-on-Landover-Mall-proposal","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6471642-63f81a37d4f3293f7db03d3589526041/orig.mp4?Expires=1771119931&Signature=nS2UByRsfEcWszCRPELvPIPQ6sg8ucptE9hHH-7w6sQb3fey1NKACsjsU8K8Ugae7TAMEy0nFrcAkfszeE8hjYAbyioDPkyGimOPnXwDy1GR6ee9mg9wDCXgV14fn9SC8r7gJxFWD1tTopRxVnjtYaEiOS1TDcFW1q0xnZag3lTFPDj-uGwDsvjrGsDa6g~lCDNhP0LmAW~mZSZcSCiceg0z~~wP7UW8RlAc4h-C3AZvLQx3Pza-FWlqsvkL7X9NZ2ZB1lXWMiLegb-QqTSYPyHi4SkJYnCU7Eg2Eg3Q8hb6YjFvmOaD0XiE-irtdHoym35RUPLEuTUpGz43f93inw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Prince George's County Qualified Data Center Task Force Co-Chair Edward Burrows opened the September meeting by telling attendees the task force will study data centers' economic, environmental and social impacts and make recommendations to the county government, but stressed the body has no permitting authority over projects such as the proposed Landover Mall data center. \"This task force is not voting on the proposed data center at Landover Mall,\" Burrows said. \"This Task Force does not have the authority to determine whether or not a data center goes anywhere.\"

The task force spent the meeting reviewing synthesized feedback from three community meetings held in July and one-on-one comments collected by the consulting team. Anthony Jones, the co-chair, said the group's recommendations will be advisory only: \"Our recommendations are intended to be aligned with best practices from other jurisdictions that will best protect and promote the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of Prince George's County.\"

Nut graf: The presentation summarized public concern and suggested mitigation strategies that the task force said will inform a formal set of recommendations to the County Council. The consulting team quantified comments from the July sessions and identified environmental impacts (energy and water), governance/transparency, economic value, zoning clarity and design as the top areas of community concern; task force members pledged additional outreach and case-study analysis before finalizing advice.

The consultant team (Gensler) reported roughly 150 attendees across three July sessions (about 30–40 at the north meeting, roughly 70 central, and 44–45 in the south). Staff transcribed and categorized comments into six high-level topics by frequency: environmental impact (208 comments), governance and transparency (175), economic/financial impacts (110), design/aesthetics (109), zoning clarity and protections (96), and noise/disruption (39). Within environmental concerns, energy and emissions (82 comments) and water use (66 comments) were the most frequent specifics. The presentation noted community interest in mitigation such as renewable energy strategies, water reuse, buffering and site reuse rather than greenfield development.

The task force also reviewed the local legal and planning context discussed during the meeting. Chair Burrows said the council enacted CB-1-2021 in 2021, which amended the zoning ordinance to allow qualified data centers in the MXT zone and exempt them from District Council site-plan review; as a result the Landover Mall site proceeded to a Planning Board preliminary plan approval in April 2024 and now requires permitting through the County's Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) and other agencies prior to construction. Burrows was explicit that the task force's remit is advisory: it will analyze pros and cons, compile a report and forward recommendations to the County Council.

Members asked staff to improve demographic and geographic disaggregation of public-comment data at future meetings; staff said mapping by meeting location is in the dataset and that they could add ZIP-code aggregation at the next session. Community members and task force members also requested clearer definitions or a glossary to clarify terms such as \"environmental impact\" and \"environmental justice,\" which staff agreed to consider for the public report.

One formal action occurred during the meeting: Co-Chair Anthony Jones moved to approve the minutes from the July 9 meeting; Councilmember Walla Blake seconded, and the minutes were approved (no roll-call tally recorded).

The task force identified next steps: staff and consultants will deliver case studies and comparative analyses of other jurisdictions at the October 8 task force meeting; the consultants will continue to digitize and make available the comment corpus; the task force committed to at least one additional large-capacity public meeting and to pursue invitations to technical agencies including PJM and the Maryland Department of the Environment. Staff said they are coordinating a possible site tour in Frederick County and will email details to members when confirmed. The task force reiterated that any statutory or permitting authority for specific projects (including Landover Mall) remains with DPIE and other regulatory agencies.

Ending: The meeting closed after schedule and outreach items were confirmed; members and residents were told staff will post materials, minutes and the presentation to the task force webpage and that the task force will return with additional technical testimony and comparative case studies before issuing final recommendations to the County Council.","The County's Qualified Data Center Task Force reviewed results of three July community meetings, reiterated that it has no permitting authority over the proposed Landover Mall data center, and committed to further public engagement and case-study research before issuing recommendations to the County Council.","actionData","errors"]

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Pepco warns data centers can drive large new loads; proposes letters of credit and feasibility fees to limit ratepayer risk

Prince George's County task force reviews community feedback on data centers, emphasizes advisory role on Landover Mall proposal