Members Page - Large Loads Task Force - Interconnection Process

Large Loads Task Force: Interconnection Process Project Team Tasks and Scope of Work

Interconnection Process – coordinate with all other project teams. Coordinate the project team to gather industry best practices, insights, opinions, perspectives, and input on large load interconnection processes. Produce a collective vision with the project team of an ideal large load interconnection process, including differences between generation interconnection processes, process considerations for behind-the-meter generation at the large load facilities, considerations for standalone large load facilities versus large load facilities co-located with generation facilities, and more. Provide potential guidance on how to implement the ideal large load interconnection process, whether at the local/state level or national level (via FERC and/or NERC). Produce a task force report highlighting the lessons learned, findings, and recommendations for the interconnection processes of large loads, particularly to support project developers, generator owners, transmission service providers, and system operators in improving and accelerating the interconnection of large loads.

Current practices collection in the beginning of the project, including surveying the industry as to what is working, what is broken, where can improvements be made, how big are the interconnection queues, and what are practical recommendations and improvements being considered
Defining various milestones during the interconnection process that could be implemented to help ensure certainty with large load projects, be meaningful for the project developers, and informative to the utilities
Defining what modes and studies are needed during the large load interconnection process
Exploring what processes should be implemented with transmission planning teams if transmission upgrades and system improvements are identified during large load interconnections
Recommendations that can be pulled from the lessons learned with the interconnection of inverter-based resources, including FERC Order 2023 requirements