As Maryland’s power grid operator, PJM Interconnection has provided reliable, uninterrupted electricity service to the state’s 6 million residents for many decades. PJM is the entity that acts as the electricity air traffic controller of a multistate power grid and ensures that BGE and other utilities have power to distribute to homes and businesses across Maryland. PJM functionally operates as a nonprofit whose federal mandate is to keep the lights on. The company tries to do this affordably while simultaneously facilitating state policy objectives for the 14 jurisdictions we operate in.

The power grid is undergoing significant change. Traditional electricity-generating resources are leaving the grid due in significant part to policy directives. Simultaneously, the demand for electricity is increasing due to data center proliferation, electric vehicle growth and the attempt in some jurisdictions to fully electrify homes. Further, the resources leaving the system are often being replaced by smaller, primarily renewable resources that have different capabilities than the resources retiring.

These changes mandate the need for a lot more energy infrastructure — both generating resources and transmission lines. Of all of our states, Maryland may be the most challenged as it relates to energy infrastructure. Maryland already imports approximately 40% of its electricity from neighboring states, and there are a relatively small number of renewable resources looking to connect to the grid in Maryland that would serve to reverse that import trend. This is occurring while Maryland attempts to grow its economy, which will result in an increased demand for power. Finally, Maryland has relatively less major transmission infrastructure when compared with peer states.

Transmission is the electricity infrastructure that moves power from generating stations to areas where power is needed for consumption. Transmission lines can be local in nature or can be large, interstate pieces of infrastructure. Transmission is needed to keep the lights on. More than that, transmission can help facilitate the addition of new supply, as it will increase the touchpoints for new resources to plug in to the system and also reduce the financial burdens of those developers who otherwise would have to pay for more substantial transmission upgrades so they can plug in.

As the regional grid planner, PJM regularly reviews the region’s long-term power needs and determines when and where new transmission lines are needed. Last year, PJM held eight open transmission planning meetings in response to emerging grid reliability concerns across Maryland and several neighboring states. Maryland state agencies, private citizens and other stakeholders participated in the discussions. From there, PJM applied various criteria to the dozens of competitively bid proposals that were offered by transmission developers. Each proposal was evaluated based on an array of factors, including impacts to the right of way, overall cost, performance, scalability, constructability, anticipated risks and project efficiencies. The proposals that best satisfied the criteria were selected to move forward.

One of the projects approved through PJM’s transmission planning process has attracted particular attention — the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP). This project is slated to be constructed by the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG). The proposed 70-mile, 500 kV transmission line was chosen for its ability to address grid reliability needs, minimize the impact to properties along the route and deliver the project on time and at a reasonable cost. The landowners along the preferred path and their governmental representatives have been expressing concerns to PSEG and others about the line’s route. This concern is completely understandable. Just as reliable electricity delivery is fundamental to our society, so are property rights.

PJM takes no position on the route itself, nor do we direct or ultimately determine the route. Our understanding is that PSEG will be engaging all of the property owners who will be impacted by the proposed route, and the Maryland Public Service Commission will ultimately decide whether to issue a permit to PSEG to construct the line. But the MPRP line is needed. Energy infrastructure, especially in Maryland, is desperately needed. We ask that this be considered in balancing all of the various factors surrounding the MPRP transmission line.

Jason M. Stanek is executive director of governmental services at PJM. He is the former chair of the Maryland Public Service Commission.