Power Grid Daily

FERC accepted ISO-NE’s pay-for-performance rate cut to $3,500/MWh as ERCOT’s data-center Batch Zero slipped and Oklo challenged PJM’s queue removal. Scarcity pricing, large-load growth and interconnection risk are moving from planning spreadsheets into tariffs and dockets.

1. FERC Accepts ISO-NE Pay-for-Performance Rate Reduction — RTO Insider

   FERC has accepted a reduction of the ISO-NE pay-for-performance (PFP) rate from $9,337/MWh to $3,500/MWh, finding that the lower rate would provide adequate incentive for capacity resources to perform during scarcity conditions ( ER26-3047 ). ISO-NE has argued that the lower rate would minimize risks that excessive PFP penalties could push older, slow-start fossil resources into retirement. The…

2. ERCOT Misses Deadline for Batch Zero Study — RTO Insider

   ERCOT has missed a deadline to notify transmission or distribution service providers interconnecting data centers of their customers’ conditional classification status in the Batch Zero study. The grid operator said in an Aug. 31 market notice that it “requires additional time” to complete its data validation and due diligence processes. It said it is delaying the information’s release until…

3. Oklo Files FERC Complaint After PJM Removes Project from Interconnection Queue — RTO Insider

   Oklo has filed a complaint at FERC alleging PJM violated its tariff by removing a 750-MW generation project from the Cycle 1 interconnection queue ( EL26-101 ). The Aug. 27 complaint argues PJM improperly studied the entire project as an inverter-based resource, despite only the fuel cell component relying on inverters. The project is split between three technologies: 300 MW of fuel cells, 300 MW…

4. NYSEG to Pay $80K for NERC Violations — RTO Insider

   New York State Electric and Gas will pay $80,000 to the Northeast Power Coordinating Committee as part of a settlement for violating NERC’s reliability standards, according to the ERO’s monthly spreadsheet notice of penalty, approved Aug. 28 by FERC ( NP26-12 ). The SNOP also included a settlement between SERC Reliability and Columbia Water and Light (CWLD), the municipal utility for the city of…

5. Ontario Bulk Plans Pair Near-term Builds with Future Transmission Options — RTO Insider

   IESO is calling for another wave of transmission development across much of Ontario, including major reinforcements around its largest load centers while preserving additional transmission options for nuclear expansion, industrial growth and significantly higher electricity demand. Bulk planning documents published by IESO on Aug. 20 detail near-term infrastructure development and long-range…

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Texas PUC approved the state’s first 765-kV transmission routes into the Permian Basin, while MISO moved on FERC cost-shift protections for large loads and a new bulk-power equipment order widened supply-chain scrutiny for inverters, storage and data-center UPS systems.

1. Texas PUC Approves State’s First 765-kV Lines — RTO Insider

   Texas regulators have approved the applications and routes for the state’s first two 765-kV transmission lines, ignoring calls from lawmakers and landowners to delay or deny the permits. During an Aug. 28 open meeting, the Public Utility Commission accepted proposed decisions for both Oncor projects, which make up the first of three import paths into the Permian Basin. The commissioners agreed…

2. Executive Order Expands Scrutiny of Foreign-Produced Bulk-Power Equipment — What Energy Companies Should Know - McGuireWoods — McGuireWoods

   Executive Order Expands Scrutiny of Foreign-Produced Bulk-Power Equipment — What Energy Companies Should Know - McGuireWoods

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Georgia Power’s OpenAI contract cleared Georgia regulators, setting a 3.2-GW template for data-center risk allocation. SPP, MISO and New England transmission owners add the other half of the story: tight margins, load-pocket risk and rising network rates.

1. Georgia Power Gets PSC Approval for Massive Data Center Contract — RTO Insider

   Georgia Power can move forward with a 3.2-GW contract to power an OpenAI data center after satisfying state regulators’ concerns about the potential impacts on the utility’s existing ratepayers. Following a nearly two-week delay to hammer out the final details, the contract cleared the Georgia Public Service Commission without objection at an Aug. 27 meeting. Among other concessions, Georgia…

2. SPP Stakeholders Endorse Interim Solution for West BAA — RTO Insider

   SPP stakeholders have endorsed a priority tariff change to address tight capacity margins that have resulted in three energy emergency alerts this summer in the RTO’s new Western balancing authority area. The Markets and Operations Policy Committee approved the proposed change ( RR801 ) with 78.24% support during a virtual meeting Aug. 25. Three stakeholder working groups also have approved the…

3. MISO Finds Higher Load Loss Risks as it Launches South Long-range Tx Plan — RTO Insider

   MISO South’s network of load pockets has not been operating to the one-day-in-10-years reliability standard and could face more capacity shortcomings by 2030, despite utilities’ generation additions and transmission upgrades. That’s the crux of MISO’s recently conducted load pocket risk assessment, the first step in the grid operator’s quest to draw up a long-range transmission plan for MISO…

4. New England Transmission Owners Detail 5-year Rate Forecast — RTO Insider

   Based on forecast capital investments, the New England transmission owners expect ISO-NE ’s Regional Network Service rate to grow from $177.63/kW-year in 2026 to about $237/kW-year in 2031, an increase of about 33%. The companies filed with FERC a 3.6% increase to the current rate for 2027 to reflect new projects, increased revenue requirements and their expectation for a higher return on equity…

5. The 765kV "House of Cards" | San Saba News & Star — San Saba News & Star

   The 765kV "House of Cards" | San Saba News & Star

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FERC approved SPP’s economic topology reconfiguration tariff for Oct. 1 while PJM governance comments press for broader board and Section 205 reforms; NIPSCO outages, IESO demand-response shortfalls and BPA queue processing add reliability pressure.

1. Braun Demands Investigation into NIPSCO Storm Prep After 2-week Blackout — RTO Insider

   Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) announced that his office is seeking an investigation into Northern Indiana Public Service Co.’s storm readiness and response after a powerful derecho and cluster of tornadoes left residents without power for nearly two weeks and counting. Braun revealed Aug. 24 that he has instructed the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) to file a complaint with the Utility…

2. FERC Approves SPP Economic Topology Reconfigs — RTO Insider

   FERC has approved an SPP tariff revision to use economic topology reconfigurations as system conditions allow, saying it will help to reduce market production costs and improve the transmission system’s efficiency by relieving congestion and displacing higher-cost generation ( ER26-2592 ). The commission said Aug. 19 that the changes establish a process to ensure that requested configurations are…

3. FERC Technical Conference Comments Delve into PJM Governance — RTO Insider

   Dozens of comments recommend FERC enact sweeping changes to PJM’s Board of Managers and stakeholder process as part of a technical conference on the RTO’s governance ( AD26-7 ). (See FERC Dives into PJM Governance Woes, Wants Fixes by this Fall .) The term sheet PJM submitted recommended making the stakeholder process advisory and the RTO assuming filing rights over planning and the energy and…

4. Demand Response Shortfalls Shape IESO 2027 Capacity Auction Changes — RTO Insider

   Ontario’s hourly demand response (HDR) resources delivered only about 64% of their capacity obligations during summer 2025 activations and rarely updated their bids to reflect what they could provide, according to IESO . The shortfall is shaping HDR-related capacity auction changes the ISO proposes for 2027. Only 122 of 1,315 activation hours in summer 2025 (9%) showed a change between day-ahead…

5. BPA Considers Changes to Transmission Queue Processing — RTO Insider

   The Bonneville Power Administration could reshape its first-come, first-served transmission queue order and impose stricter requirements to speed up processing of transmission service requests. Several issues have hampered BPA’s commercial transmission planning, including significant increases in requests for long-term firm (LTF) transmission service, unprecedented load growth and disjointed…

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ERCOT’s data-center audit is putting Batch Zero timing in doubt, while MISO lines up new consequences for generators and demand-response resources unavailable during winter emergency conditions.

1. Batch Zero Timing Endangered by Abbott’s Call for Audit — RTO Insider

   ERCOT officials have set a December target to complete Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s request to verify and audit data centers and crypto miners seeking to interconnect to the grid. At the same time, they have been unable to say how the pause in validating the large loads will affect their original timeline. ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas told the Texas House State Affairs Committee during an Aug. 19 hearing…

2. FERC Denies Maine Public Advocate’s Challenge of Asset Condition Costs — RTO Insider

   FERC has denied a formal challenge of asset condition spending in New England, finding that the Maine Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) failed to demonstrate serious doubt about the prudency of the disputed projects. The OPA’s challenge centered around asset condition investments made in 2022. It argued that Eversource Energy and National Grid did not demonstrate an adequate analysis of project…

3. MISO Wants Consequences for Gen Lead Time Extensions in Emergencies — RTO Insider

   MISO said it will roll out new rules to discourage its market participants from stretching out their units’ lead times when a grid emergency is on the horizon. MISO’s control room operators have discovered in recent emergency events that owners of offline resources have logged into MISO’s nonpublic interface to extend their lead times as MISO approached or was in the middle of stressful grid…

4. MISO Accepts 25% Increase for $1.2B Long-range Tx Project in Minn. — RTO Insider

   MISO approved a $240 million cost hike for a long-range transmission project in Minnesota after the developers’ even larger cost increases triggered a re-evaluation of the project. The RTO wound up settling for a 24.74% cost increase — resetting a baseline cost estimate from $970 million to $1.21 billion — for the 345-kV Iron Range-Benton County-Big Oaks project, one of the long-range…

5. MISO LMR Unavailability Investigation Triggers Debate on Closed Businesses — RTO Insider

   MISO ’s first investigation into load-modifying resources’ unavailability during a winter storm set off a debate between MISO and stakeholders on what happens when businesses signed on for demand response close their doors. MISO previously found that more than a third (or 2.8 GW) of its accredited load-modifying resources marked themselves as unavailable in MISO’s scheduling interface during a…

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Bonneville Power Administration’s RAPID initiative and CAISO’s FERC-driven forecasting work show large loads forcing faster grid procedures, while NERC trims standards projects and federal agencies warn AI-enabled attacks are targeting critical infrastructure equipment.

1. BPA’s RAPID Initiative Aims to Speed up Large Load Interconnections — RTO Insider

   The Bonneville Power Administration is designing a new product to fast-track the interconnection of large loads under an initiative aimed at overhauling the agency’s transmission planning processes. The Rapid Access Products and Interconnection Delivery (RAPID) program is being designed to bridge the gap between large loads’ immediate need for interconnection and BPA’s long-term goal to speed up…

2. CAISO Warns of Forecasting Challenges from Large Loads — RTO Insider

   CAISO is working on solutions to the growing uncertainty in load forecasting in California stemming from new large loads such as data centers. The ISO held a workshop Aug. 19 to address its large load straw proposal that was published in response to FERC’s show-cause order on the issue. (See CAISO Issues Large Load Proposal to Address Show-cause Order .) More than 150 stakeholders attended. Large…

3. NERC Committee Votes to Shutter Multiple Standards Projects — RTO Insider

   Members of NERC’s Standards Committee agreed at their monthly open meeting Aug. 19 to wrap up multiple ongoing projects amid the ERO’s transition to its new standards development process. The committee also approved industry comment periods for a new group of standards aimed at addressing the reliability challenges of computational large loads. The SC ended 12 projects, all considered low or…

4. Feds Warn of AI Cyber Threat ‘Evolution’ — RTO Insider

   Cyber criminals are using artificial intelligence to power their attacks in what U.S. security agencies are calling “an evolution in threat actor capabilities.” The warning came in an Aug. 19 alert issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the FBI and the National Security Agency about an ongoing campaign against…

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FERC cleared MISO to assign cross-border long-range transmission work to PJM owners without competitive bidding, while ISO-NE sketched a bring-your-own-generation path for large loads and Oracle dropped a Wisconsin challenge over data-center financial safeguards.

1. FERC Greenlights MISO Assignment of Some Long-range Tx Projects to PJM TOs — RTO Insider

   FERC ruled MISO can circumvent a competitive bidding process when it taps PJM transmission owners to build parts of its long-range transmission projects that cross into the neighboring RTO ( ER26-1538, et al. ). The commission decided Aug. 14 that MISO’s competitive selection process does not apply to facilities outside its system and under another RTO’s functional control. MISO’s second, nearly…

2. ISO-NE Outlines Proposed Treatment of Large Loads — RTO Insider

   ISO-NE on Aug. 18 outlined to NEPOOL members its proposed response to FERC ’s show-cause order on large loads, expanding upon its proposal to require new large loads to bring their own new generation. Large loads have not been a major driver of load growth in New England, as high electricity prices and siting challenges have so far kept hyperscale data center developers away from the region. (See…

3. Oracle Drops Suit Against Wisconsin PSC over Financial Requirements — RTO Insider

   Tech firm Oracle has voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, leaving strict financial safeguards intact on giant data center development. Oracle in late June mounted a legal challenge to the state’s collateral and credit rating requirements for large customer rates, arguing they were too severe and admitting it did not have enough tangible net worth…

4. Ontario Market Monitor Reviews 1st Year of Locational Pricing — RTO Insider

   Ontario’s renewed electricity market has been active for more than a year, and a new analysis from the Ontario Energy Board’s Market Surveillance Panel says that locational pricing has made regional congestion more transparent. However, the new pricing scheme has revealed ongoing constraints in northern Ontario and rare but severe congestion around Ottawa, which emerged as Ontario’s most volatile…

5. PGE Says Holding Co. Would Boost Clean Energy Investments, Help Tackle Demand — RTO Insider

   Portland General Electric says creating a holding company would help the utility compete for capital and tackle increasing energy demand in the Pacific Northwest, but skeptics say the proposal could end up benefitting shareholders to the detriment of customers. The Oregon Public Utility Commission is weighing whether to approve the application . A decision is expected by Sept. 25 after the…

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ERCOT, PJM and Exelon show data center load moving from forecasts into tariff fights: Texas wants pre-energization audits, Christie presses PJM governance reform, and utilities are locking in coal, gas and take-or-pay customer protections.

1. ERCOT Asks for Exceptions to Batch Study Process — RTO Insider

   ERCOT says it will need to file good-cause exceptions with the Public Utility Commission to respond to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s request that the organizations conduct a “comprehensive” verification and audit of all data centers before they can be energized. The grid operator’s general counsel, Chad Seely, told the commissioners during a special open meeting Aug. 14 that staff is moving the…

2. Step Back — When PJM’s capacity auction clears at $325/MW-day, what is actually being purchased—and why can a price set years in advance affect the bills and reliability choices of customers who aren’t data centers?Background sources
   • What the 2028/2029 PJM Capacity Auction Means for Commercial & Industrial Energy Customers | AEP Energy — Katie Firestone
   • 2025 in Review: PJM Market Rules Support Efficiency, Resource Adequacy | PJM Inside Lines — Jason McGovern
   • PJM capacity auction hits price cap again, falls short of reliability requirement - E&E News by POLITICO — Mona Zhang
   • What Is a Capacity Market? Explained | EnergyDocket — EnergyDocket
   • PJM files backstop auction plan at FERC to meet capacity shortfall | Utility Dive — Ethan Howland
3. Christie: Don’t Settle for Cosmetic Half Measures in PJM — RTO Insider

   Former FERC Chair Mark Christie has strong words of advice for current commissioners considering changes to PJM governance. “Do not back off to avoid pushback from influential stakeholder interests who do not want to give up their power within PJM and never will do so voluntarily,” he wrote in comments filed Aug. 16 ( AD26-7 ). “Do not settle for cosmetic half measures to get some ‘kumbaya’…

4. In the Midwest, more coal power for data centers | Latitude Media — Latitude Media

   In the Midwest, more coal power for data centers | Latitude Media In the Midwest, more coal power for data centers | Latitude Media

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Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s draft Ninth Power Plan calls for more than 11,000 MW of new generation, 5,000 MW of storage and 1,060 aMW of efficiency by 2032, sharpening the western grid-capital picture.

1. Draft Ninth Power Plan identifies cost-effective resource portfolio to meet Northwest’s energy needs by 2032 — Northwest Power and Conservation Council

   Draft Ninth Power Plan identifies cost-effective resource portfolio to meet Northwest’s energy needs by 2032

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PJM is reviewing ride-through standards after nearly 4,000 MW of Virginia data center load tripped offline, while FERC’s June show-cause orders press six grid operators on how large loads connect and who pays.

1. PJM, Dominion Review Large Load Transfer Event — Inside Lines

   # PJM, Dominion Review Large Load Transfer Event

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