Official Summaries

Guaranteeing Reliability through the Interconnection of Dispatchable Power Act or the GRID Power Act

This bill requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue and periodically review a rule that revises the approval process for interconnection requests of generating units that produce electricity to prioritize dispatchable power projects (e.g., certain fossil fuel projects). 

Under the bill, dispatchable power generally refers to an electric energy generation resource, such as a generating unit that produces electricity from fossil fuels, capable of providing known and forecastable electric supply in time intervals necessary to ensure grid reliability. Currently, FERC receives interconnection requests from those projects and other generating units, such as units that produce electricity from renewable energy. Interconnection requests are requests from generating units to connect to the high voltage transmission lines of the electric grid.

First, the rule must address the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing procedures for processing interconnection requests to ensure that new dispatchable power projects that improve grid reliability and resource adequacy can interconnect to the electric grid quickly, cost-effectively, and reliably. 

Second, the rule must revise the pro forma Large Generator Interconnection Procedures, and the pro forma Large Generator Interconnection Agreement as appropriate, to authorize transmission providers to submit proposals to FERC to prioritize new dispatchable power projects that will improve grid reliability and resource adequacy by assigning those projects higher positions in the interconnection queue of the provider. FERC must review and approve or deny such proposals within 60 days after the proposal is submitted.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 465 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 465

   To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reform the 
 interconnection queue process for the prioritization and approval of 
               certain projects, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             February 6 (legislative day, February 5), 2025

 Mr. Hoeven (for himself and Mr. Young) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reform the 
 interconnection queue process for the prioritization and approval of 
               certain projects, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Guaranteeing Reliability through the 
Interconnection of Dispatchable Power Act'' or the ``GRID Power Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Bulk-power system.--The term ``bulk-power system'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 215(a) of the Federal 
        Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824o(a)).
            (2) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Energy Regulatory Commission.
            (3) Dispatchable power.--The term ``dispatchable power'' 
        means an electric energy generation resource capable of 
        providing known and forecastable electric supply in time 
        intervals necessary to ensure grid reliability.
            (4) Grid reliability.--The term ``grid reliability'' means 
        the ability of the electric grid to deliver an adequate, 
        secure, and stable flow of electricity in the quantity and with 
        the quality demanded by users, taking into account the ability 
        of the bulk-power system to withstand sudden disturbances.
            (5) Grid resilience.--The term ``grid resilience'' means 
        the ability of the electric grid to adapt to changing physical 
        conditions and withstand and rapidly recover from significant 
        disturbances, including natural disasters, cyber-attacks, and 
        other unforeseen events.
            (6) Independent system operator.--The term ``Independent 
        System Operator'' has the meaning given the term in section 3 
        of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 796).
            (7) Regional transmission organization.--The term 
        ``Regional Transmission Organization'' has the meaning given 
        the term in section 3 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 796).
            (8) Resource adequacy.--The term ``resource adequacy'' 
        means the ability of the electric system to meet the aggregate 
        electrical demand and energy requirements of end-use customers 
        at all times, accounting for scheduled and reasonably expected 
        unscheduled outages of bulk-power system components.
            (9) Transmission provider.--The term ``transmission 
        provider'' means--
                    (A) a public utility (as defined in section 201(e) 
                of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824(e))) that owns, 
                operates, or controls 1 or more transmission 
                facilities;
                    (B) an Independent System Operator; and
                    (C) a Regional Transmission Organization.

SEC. 3. RULEMAKING TO IMPROVE INTERCONNECTION QUEUE FLEXIBILITY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Commission shall initiate a rulemaking--
            (1) to address the inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of 
        existing procedures for processing interconnection requests to 
        ensure that new dispatchable power projects that improve grid 
        reliability and resource adequacy can interconnect to the 
        electric grid quickly, cost-effectively, and reliably; and
            (2) to amend the pro forma Large Generator Interconnection 
        Procedures and, as appropriate, the pro forma Large Generator 
        Interconnection Agreement, promulgated pursuant to section 
        35.28(f) of title 18, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor 
        regulations)--
                    (A) to authorize transmission providers to submit 
                proposals to the Commission to adjust the 
                interconnection queue of the transmission provider to 
                prioritize new dispatchable power projects that will 
                improve grid reliability and resource adequacy by 
                assigning those projects higher positions in the 
                interconnection queue; and
                    (B) to require transmission providers--
                            (i) to provide in any proposal described in 
                        subparagraph (A)--
                                    (I) a demonstration of need for 
                                prioritization of the relevant 
                                projects; and
                                    (II) a description of how the 
                                prioritization of those projects will 
                                improve grid reliability or grid 
                                resilience;
                            (ii) to provide a process for public 
                        comment and stakeholder engagement before a 
                        proposal described in subparagraph (A) is 
                        submitted to the Commission; and
                            (iii) to provide regular reporting to the 
                        Commission on the state of grid reliability and 
                        grid resilience, including reporting on any 
                        actions taken pursuant to this Act.
    (b) Commission Approval.--To ensure timely responses to grid 
reliability concerns, not later than 60 days after a proposal is 
submitted pursuant to subsection (a)(2), the Commission shall--
            (1) review the proposal; and
            (2) approve or deny the proposal.
    (c) Deadline for Final Rule.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall promulgate final 
regulations to complete the rulemaking initiated under subsection (a).
    (d) Periodic Review.--Not less frequently than once every 5 years, 
the Commission shall review and, if necessary, update the regulations 
promulgated under this section to ensure that those regulations remain 
effective and relevant to evolving grid reliability and grid resilience 
challenges.
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