Gridlock Relief? New Bill Orders FERC to Fast-Track Power Project Connections Within 180 Days

Alright, let's talk about plugging new power sources into the grid – think big solar farms, wind turbines, or those giant battery projects. The "Expediting Generator Interconnection Procedures Act of 2025" is all about making that process smoother. Essentially, this bill tells the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) – the folks who regulate interstate electricity sales – that they've got 180 days to kick off a rulemaking process. The goal? To revamp the current system for connecting new generation and energy storage projects, aiming to make it faster, cheaper, and more reliable. They'll have 18 months from the start to issue a final rule.

Overhauling the Hookup Handbook

So, what's changing? SEC. 3 of the bill gets specific. FERC needs to update its standard rulebook for connecting large generators (that's the "pro forma Large Generator Interconnection Procedures" for those keeping score, found in section 35.28(f) of title 18, Code of Federal Regulations). The new rules will require transmission providers – the companies that own and operate the big power lines – to get a lot smarter and more transparent.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Realistic Models: When a new solar farm or battery storage project wants to connect, the transmission provider has to study the impact. This bill says those studies must use modeling assumptions based on what different types of power sources can actually do, not just generic figures.
• Customer Risk Tolerance: The studies will also need to consider the interconnection customer's (the project developer's) appetite for risk. This could mean more tailored approaches instead of a one-size-fits-all study.
• Cost-Effective Fixes: If the study finds that connecting the new project requires upgrades to the existing grid to maintain reliability, the transmission provider has to pick "cost-effective solutions."
• Show Your Work: Transmission providers will need to give customers enough information to understand how these assumptions and solutions are being applied. No more black boxes, hopefully.
• Speeding Up Studies: The bill pushes for adopting best practices, like using advanced computing and standardized criteria, to get study results out faster.
• Building on Time and Budget: Once a project gets the green light and an interconnection agreement is signed, new measures will aim for more transparency and better performance to ensure any necessary grid upgrades are built in a timely and cost-conscious way.

What This Means for Your Power (and Wallet)

The big idea is to clear the backlog of new energy projects waiting to connect to the grid. If it works, we could see more renewable energy and storage coming online faster, which is good for energy diversity and potentially for hitting climate goals. For developers of these projects, it could mean less time and money spent waiting in line.

However, the bill has some areas where the real-world impact will depend on the details FERC hammers out. For instance, what exactly qualifies as a "cost-effective solution" for grid upgrades? And how will "risk tolerance of the customer" be consistently measured and applied? These definitions will be crucial.

One really important point tucked into SEC. 3 is that this bill doesn't change how the costs of these big transmission system upgrades are allocated. That's still governed by FERC's existing ratemaking authority under section 205 of the Federal Power Act. So, while the process of getting connected might become more efficient, the question of who ultimately pays for the necessary grid improvements remains under the current framework. This means transmission providers will still need to go through the usual regulatory hoops to get those costs approved and likely passed on to customers, but the bill aims to make the initial connection study and agreement phase less of a bottleneck.