FERC affirms PJM at-risk readiness deposits, denies solar developer withdrawal complaint
FERC on May 21 denied a complaint by Gaston Green Acres Solar and Bethel NC Hwy 11 Solar against PJM Interconnection, leaving in place the at-risk Readiness Deposit framework that holds Transition Cycle No. 1 developers to their cost allocations even when network upgrade costs jump materially between Phase III and the final retool study. The ruling is a procedural denial but a substantive signal: late-stage queue economics are now harder to walk away from, which raises the bar on developer cost discipline and reduces cost-shift risk for the projects that remain in the cycle.