AI Load Turns Into REIT Heat and PJM Discipline — July 20, 2026

PJM’s large-load plan and the data-center REIT boom show AI infrastructure moving from hype into balance-sheet and grid-rule territory, with investors, utilities, and hyperscalers all watching who pays for capacity.

In this episode

1. Data Centers Are the Hot New REITs. Should You Invest $1,000? - AOL — AOL

   Data Centers Are the Hot New REITs. Should You Invest $1,000? - AOL Fri, July 17, 2026 at 3:03 PM UTC 0 ## Key Points Realty Income has increased its investment in the data center space. Data center REITs may be a great way to profit from the AI build-out. 10 stocks we like better than Realty Income › && Real estate investment trusts (REITs) have staged a comeback in 2026 after years of…

2. Step Back — PJM now has a formal large-load integration plan on the table, so what should we watch to tell whether this is real reliability discipline or just a new queue label—and how would it shift leverage among hyperscalers, utilities, generators, and states chasing AI campuses?

   Background sources

   • PJM Board Outlines Plans To Integrate Large Loads Reliably | PJM Inside Lines — Jason McGovern
   • PJM Board Outlines Plans To Integrate Large Loads Reliably — PJM Interconnection
   • What PJM States Can Do to Ensure Affordable, Reliable Electricity During the Data Center Boom - RMI — Rmi
   • PJM trims near-term load forecast on stricter data center vetting, economic outlook | Utility Dive — Ethan Howland
   • FERC Targets Grid Rules for Data Centers, Large Loads — Datacenterknowledge
   • PJM Monitor: AI Data Center Growth Reshaping Power Markets — Datacenterknowledge

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