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ARTICLE · 29 OCTOBER 2025

DOE Directs FERC To Initiate Large Load Interconnection Rulemaking

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On October 23, 2025, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to conduct a rulemaking to assert jurisdiction over load interconnections to the bulk electric...

United StatesEnergy and Natural Resources
Emily P. Mallen
Emily P. Mallen
Stephen Hug
Stephen Hug
Ben N. Reiter
Ben N. Reiter
Corban Coffman
Corban Coffman
Sharmila P. Das
Sharmila P. Das
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On October 23, 2025, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to conduct a rulemaking to assert jurisdiction over load interconnections to the bulk electric transmission system and establish standardized procedures for the interconnection of large loads.1 The Directive included an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANOPR) that sets forth the legal justification for asserting jurisdiction over transmission-level load interconnections and fourteen principles that should inform FERC's rulemaking process. The Secretary has directed FERC to take "final action" on the Directive no later than April 30, 2026.

Citing "unprecedented and extraordinary" electricity demand driven by the rapid proliferation of data centers, onshoring of manufacturing, and trends in electrification, the Directive would have FERC address the lack of standardized rules governing how large loads—which it preliminarily defines

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