BALTIMORE, Md. — Amazon Data Services, Inc. filed comments last week with the Maryland Public Service Commission, urging regulators to shorten timelines for electric load studies required for large customers, including data centers.
The comments were filed on Wednesday, Jan. 21, in Administrative Docket RM 93, Public Conference 72, as part of the commission’s ongoing rulemaking to implement Maryland’s 2025 Next Generation Act. The law requires the commission to adopt new regulations and tariffs governing how large electricity users connect to Maryland’s electric system.
Under the statute, a large-load customer is defined as a commercial or industrial user with projected monthly electric demand of at least 100 megawatts and a load factor exceeding 80%. The legislation is intended to ensure residential ratepayers do not bear the financial risks associated with serving those customers.
In its filing, Amazon said it supports policies requiring large-load customers to pay their full cost of service, but raised concerns that lengthy study timelines could delay projects and complicate utility planning.
Amazon asked the commission to require utilities to determine whether a load-study request is complete within 30 calendar days of receipt. The company said large projects typically involve extensive coordination with utilities before a formal request is submitted, making quicker determinations reasonable.
The company also urged regulators to require load studies to be completed within 180 days after a study agreement is signed and payment is received. Draft regulations could allow studies to take up to 18 months. Amazon said extended timelines could make Maryland less competitive with other states and allow speculative projects to remain in utility planning queues longer than necessary.
“Eighteen-month load studies risk making Maryland an uncompetitive market and put real family-supporting jobs and local and state revenue at risk,” the company stated in its comments.
Amazon is also asking Maryland regulators to cap any utility-requested delays in completing power studies at 60 days — unless both parties agree to more time or the state approves an extension — to avoid slowing down data center development.
“Amazon has proposed that any extension of the time for completing the load study and providing a report to the customer be limited to 60 days at the most,” the company wrote, adding that “this would allow a utility up to eight months to complete the study, which, in Amazon’s experience, is a reasonable amount of time.”
Amazon Data Services develops and operates data centers that support Amazon Web Services. In April 2025, Amazon announced plans to add a new AWS Availability Zone in Maryland.
The Public Service Commission is required to adopt final regulations by June 1, 2026. Investor-owned utilities and electric cooperatives must file new large-load rate schedules by Sept. 1, 2026. Amazon said it may address additional provisions during the commission’s rulemaking hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.
Read Amazon’s full public comment below.
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