Plain Language Summary
# GRID Power Act Summary **What the Bill Does** The GRID Power Act requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to streamline the process for connecting new power plants to the electrical grid, with a focus on "dispatchable" power sources—generators that can reliably produce electricity on demand when needed. The bill aims to make it faster and cheaper for these types of power projects to get connected while ensuring grid stability and reliability. **Who It Affects** This bill primarily affects power companies and energy developers who want to build new power plants, as well as electricity consumers who depend on a reliable grid. It could also impact existing interconnection procedures that other types of energy projects (like renewable energy) use when connecting to the grid. **Key Provisions & Current Status** The bill requires FERC to revise its current interconnection procedures and agreements to prioritize projects that improve grid reliability.
The House passed the bill, meaning it now moves to the Senate for consideration. The focus on "dispatchable" power—which typically refers to traditional sources like natural gas or coal plants that can generate power consistently—reflects the bill's approach to grid management.
CRS Official Summary
Guaranteeing Reliability through the Interconnection of Dispatchable Power Act or the GRID Power ActThis bill requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue a rule that revises the prioritization and approval process for interconnection requests for dispatchable power projects. (Under the bill, dispatchable power generally refers to an an electric energy generation resource capable of providing known and forecastable electric supply in time intervals necessary to ensure grid reliability.)First, the rule must address the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing procedures for processing interconnection requests for new dispatchable power projects to ensure that new 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 adjust the interconnection queue of the provider to prioritize new dispatchable power projects that will improve grid reliability and resource adequacy by assigning those projects a higher positions in the queue. FERC must review and approve or deny such proposals within 60 days after the proposal is submitted.
Latest Action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.