US public utility Exelon has reported that its potential list of data center deals has increased by 80 percent compared to earlier this year.

In its latest earnings call this week, the company, which supplies electricity to more than 10 million customers mostly located on the US East Coast, noted that it now has 11GW of likely data center demand within its service territory, rising from 6GW in Q2.

The capacity is currently in the engineering phase, with potential customers having already paid deposits to secure their positions.

The company also indicated that it is adding new power generation to serve the PJM coverage area and cope with the increased energy demand. Exelon has yet to build that capacity, which will be part of its investment plan, which stands at $34.5 billion until 2027.

In addition, Exelon and fellow utility AEP have reported that they expect to receive clarity from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by early December regarding the challenge they filed against an interconnection request for Amazon’s nuclear-powered data center in Pennsylvania.

The companies claimed that the agreement could increase utility bills for regular customers while reducing grid reliability.

In a complaint filed to FERC, AEP and Exelon said the proposed interconnection security agreement didn’t fit the current service class models, was poorly explained from an engineering point of view, and would result in AWS using the grid but not paying the required fees, pushing up costs for other customers.

According to the companies' estimates, the cost shift arising from this deal could be as much as $140 million per year.

"We are not against co-locations," Exelon CEO Calvin Butler said on a Q3 company earnings call. "We just believe everyone should pay their fair share of utilizing the grid."

Amazon acquired the data center and land in Salem Township, Pennsylvania, in March. The existing facility is powered by nuclear energy from Talen Energy’s adjacent Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES). Amazon aims to develop around 15 data centers on 1,600 acres.

In response, Talen has argued that the challenge is a "misguided attempt to stifle this innovation by interfering with an ISA amendment agreed to and supported by all impacted parties – which Exelon and AEP decidedly are not."