A coalition of renewable energy developers and environmentalist groups are urging the largest U.S. grid operator to abandon its plan to avoid energy shortages, as stated in a letter made public on Tuesday.

According to E&E News, millions of Americans could face power shortages this winter due to increased electricity demand driven by data centers, with grid instability prompting PJM, the grid operator, to propose a fast-tracked process for connecting 50 more power plants. However, a group of unidentified green energy producers is urging PJM to abandon this plan. They have sent a letter to both PJM and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, arguing that there is no clear “emergency and reliability imperative” to enhance reliability and that the proposal would likely not withstand legal challenges.

The Reliability Resource Initiative (RRI): Interim Accelerated Interconnection Process aims to enable the connection of up to 50 new generation projects to the grid, alongside a number of previously approved power facilities, as outlined in the latest PJM proposal. The approved projects predominantly consist of green energy sources, which PJM describes as intermittent and limited-duration resources. Consequently, it takes several megawatts of renewable energy to replace just one megawatt of fossil fuel-based power.

Along with numerous renewable energy companies, environmental advocacy organizations have also voiced their opposition to the RRI. Lawyers representing the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club, PennFuture, and Earthjustice told E&E News, The RRI is unfair and unreasonable as it retroactively alters the terms for projects that have been waiting in the interconnection queue for years, and it unjustly discriminates against certain technologies.

U.S. energy demand might surpass supply by the decade’s end, with an October report from consulting firm Bain indicating that utilities may need to boost their yearly power generation by up to 26% by 2028. A report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, a grid oversight organization, identified that the supply gap is primarily driven by green energy mandates from Democratic policies.

The radical idea that a grid operating company tries to respond to the needs of customers energy needs in anticipation of the high probability of a lack of power resulting from Biden’s green energy mandates while pointing out so-called green energy sources will be insufficient for people’s energy needs. Not surprisingly, environmentalists and so-called green energy companies are trying to stop them because they obviously won’t get their cut of the proceeds.

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