News

RTO Insider reports that ISO-NE will reopen its interconnection queue on April 1, after it was closed last year due to delays in FERC's ruling on its Order 2023 compliance proposal. While the RTO had paused work on interconnection reforms, continued uncertainty has led it to revert to the existing "first-come, first-serve" process. United's Alex Lawton urged FERC to act quickly, warning that further delays could hinder the timely integration of new energy resources and increase costs for ratepayers.

POLITICO reports that The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications will discuss the West-Wide Governance Pathway Initiative, a proposal to unify the West's electricity markets, which critics say makes California vulnerable to Trump’s FERC. United’s Edson Perez defends the proposal, saying that it will reduce electricity prices by increasing efficiency while preserving California’s authority over its clean energy and transmission policies.

RTO Insider discusses United’s new report, which shows that fixing interconnection processes could result in over $100 billion in economic benefits, and over one million years' worth of work for Americans. United’s President and CEO Heather O’Neill emphasized the important role states play in expediting interconnection reforms nationwide.

Inside Climate News reports that PJM Interconnection is under pressure, following PJM’s July capacity auction when prices jumped over 800 percent. Interviewed as part of the article, United's Jon Gordon emphasized PJM’s backlogged interconnection queue of 3,000 projects capable of replacing the entire grid’s generation, underscoring the need for immediate action.

Law360 reports on legal challenges to FERC Order No. 2023, quoting United's Caitlin Marquis about how clean energy organizations support the groundbreaking rule and FERC offering incremental improvement.

RTO Insider reports on United's recent webinar "Accelerating Interconnection Reforms for a Stronger More Affordable Grid," which underlined findings from a report that proposes ambitious and comprehensive reforms to the nation's current generator interconnection process. The article quotes the panelists featured on the webinar, who shared their expertise regarding the report's recommendations.

Utility Dive reports on a the release of a new report, co-commissioned by United, that calls for grid interconnection reforms to advance cost certainty and transparency, speed and schedule certainty, and remove barriers to market access. The article quotes United's Caitlin Marquis, who emphasizes the importance of reshaping the interconnection process as electricity demand increases.

Renewable Energy World reports that Southwest Power Pool (SPP), one of nation's largest regional transmission organizations, has requested that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) postpone 2024 interconnection requests and hold off on accepting new ones until the grid operator can catch up on previous clusters. In the article, United's Lisa Barrett categorizes SPP pausing its queue as disappointing.