On July 28, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) unanimously approved Order No. 2023, a decisive move designed to streamline the process allowing generation resources connection to the interstate transmission grid. This comes as a significant step toward reforming transmission grid policies and addressing the challenges surrounding generator interconnection.
Blank Rome LLP reported on the approval, detailing the key aspects of the rule and its potential implications. The rule introduces considerable changes to the existing generator interconnection process. Notably, the reforms stand to optimize the effectiveness and efficiency of interconnection studies, thus ensuring their timeliness, while also increasing transparency in the overall process.
Order No. 2023 is aimed at interconnection customers, including independent and utility-owned generators as well as developers of both small and large projects. The rule is expected to provide improved access and reduced costs for these interconnection customers, who are often hindered by lengthy, expensive, and opaque processes that currently exist.
While the path to implementing these reforms will demand careful navigation, the definitive approval of Order No. 2023 signals a key step forward in establishing improved generator interconnection procedures and overall reform of transmission grid policies. As these plans unfold, the potential for enhancing the grid’s resilience, reliability, and affordable access to clean energy infrastructure becomes increasingly prominent. This also represents an opportunity for legal professionals working within the energy sector to reconsider how traditional procedures are approached and prepare for new policies as they come into effect.