Interconnection

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On July 16, 2026, FERC directed the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to file new or modified Reliability Standards to address reliability risks to the Bulk Power System associated with the integration of computational loads, revise its Rules of Procedure necessary for registration of computational load entities, and submit…

On June 18, 2026, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) issued six show cause orders under Section 206 of the Federal Power Act (“FPA”) to each of the country’s regional transmission operators (“RTOs”) and independent system organizations (“ISOs”), along with their transmission owners (collectively, the “Show Cause Orders”).  FERC issued the Show Cause Orders as an initial response to the Secretary of Energy’s October 2025 letter directing FERC to initiate an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“ANOPR”) presenting potential reforms to ensure the timely and orderly interconnection or large loads to the transmission system.  The ANOPR docket, Docket No. RM26-4-000, generated more than 3,500 pages of public comments.  The Show Cause Orders also come on the heels of a series of FERC’s actions over the past year designed to address large load growth.  These actions include a December 2025 FERC order directing PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (“PJM”) to adopt clear, transparent tariff rules for large energy users located at or near generation facilities, FERC’s January 2026 approval of Southwest Power Pool, Inc.’s (“SPP”) High Impact Large Load and High Impact Large Load Generation Assessment processes, as well as FERC’s June 2026 approval of SPP’s Conditional High Impact Large Load proposal.

On June 18, 2026, FERC accepted in part and rejected in part requests for rehearing of its December 18, 2025, order (December Order) directing PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM) to revise its Open Access Transmission Tariff (Tariff) to clarify and establish certain rates, terms, and conditions of service applicable to Interconnection…

On June 9, 2026, FERC accepted PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.’s (PJM) proposal to establish an Expedited Interconnection Track process for Generating Facilities (EIT Process).  In doing so, FERC found that the EIT Process will help address PJM’s imminent resource adequacy needs by establishing an expedited interconnection process for a limited number of resources that are able to bring significant capacity onto the system quickly.  The revisions were accepted effective June 10, 2026, and July 31, 2026.

On May 21, 2026, FERC denied a complaint filed by Gaston Green Acres Solar, LLC (Gaston) and Bethel NC Hwy 11 Solar, LLC (Bethel) (collectively, with Gaston, Complainants) against PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM) arguing: (1) PJM’s Open Access Transmission Tariff (Tariff) is unjust and unreasonable because it prevented Complainants from withdrawing their generation projects from PJM’s generator interconnection process Transition Cycle No. 1 without penalty, and (2) in the alternative, FERC should order PJM to issue Bethel its own generation interconnection agreement (GIA) if PJM’s Tariff is not deemed to be unjust and unreasonable in this regard. FERC denied the complaint, finding the Complainants did not satisfy their burden under Federal Power Act section 206, failed to identify Tariff provisions requiring the issuance of a GIA for Bethel, and did not demonstrate that PJM violated its Tariff.

On April 16, 2026, FERC accepted in part and rejected in part PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.’s (PJM) compliance filing proposing changes to PJM’s Open Access Transmission Tariff (Tariff). FERC accepted PJM’s clarification of procedures for using new generating facilities to serve Co-Located Load but rejected revisions to the definition of “Co-Located Load” and PJM’s incorporation of such definition in specific Tariff sections. FERC ordered PJM to submit a further compliance filing by May 18, 2026.

On March 19, 2026, FERC approved Southwest Power Pool, Inc.’s (SPP) proposal to establish a Consolidated Planning Process (CPP) framework to streamline its regional transmission planning and generator interconnection process. FERC determined that SPP’s CPP framework complies with the regional transmission planning and cost allocation requirements of Order Nos. 890 and 1000, as well as the generator interconnection rules of Order Nos. 2003 and 2023. FERC accepted SPP’s proposed tariff revisions to implement CPP effective March 1, 2026, and directed SPP to submit a compliance filing making certain limited changes to the tariff revisions.

On January 29, 2026, FERC accepted PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.’s (PJM) revisions to its Open Access Transmission Tariff (Tariff) to create a separate, fast‑track interconnection process for “Replacement Generation Resources” that assume Capacity Interconnection Rights (CIRs) from retiring generators. The new process is intended to bring replacement capacity online more quickly, limit how long CIRs sit unused, and run in parallel with PJM’s interconnection queue.

On January 14, 2026, FERC accepted the Southwest Power Pool, Inc.’s (SPP) revisions to its Open Access Transmission Tariff (Tariff) to create a High Impact Large Load (HILL) study process and High Impact Large Load Generation Assessment (HILLGA) process. The HILL study process establishes study and operational requirements for HILLs connecting to SPP’s transmission system. The HILLGA is a new interconnection process for interconnection requests of generation resources necessary to serve HILLs. The Tariff revisions are effective as of January 15, 2026.

On December 18, 2025, FERC directed PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (“PJM”) to revise its Open Access Transmission Tariff (“Tariff”) to:

1) establish terms that an Interconnection Customer seeking to serve co-located load must follow when effectuating a co-location arrangement;
2) clarify the scope and potential of interconnection service when interconnecting new generation to serve co-located load; and
3) require that a customer taking transmission service on behalf of co-located load take one of three new transmission services.

FERC found PJM’s Tariff was unjust and unreasonable because it did not provide the rates, terms, and conditions of service applicable to generators serving co-located load or eligible customers taking transmission service on behalf of such load with sufficient clarity or consistency. FERC separately established a paper hearing to determine just and reasonable rates for new transmission services and ordered PJM to revise the Behind the Meter Generation rules in the PJM Tariff.