NERC computational loads standards pass final ballot, go to board

WASHINGTON — NERC's proposed Computational Loads Reliability Standards and their implementation plans have passed final ballot, NERC said, advancing an effort to address emerging reliability risks tied to the rapid growth of large electrical loads, including data centers.

The proposed standards will now go to the NERC Board of Trustees, which NERC will ask to adopt them. Once the board adopts them, NERC will file the Reliability Standards for Project 2026-02 Computational Loads with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for final regulatory approval in the United States, NERC said. It will also work with the relevant government authorities in Canada on next steps.

According to NERC, the proposed standards set requirements to support the reliable integration of large computational loads into the bulk power system. NERC said they build on its Level 3 Essential Action Alert issued in May 2026, incident reviews and the work of the Large Loads Working Group. NERC staff, Regional Entity staff, the electric industry, data center and cryptocurrency industry participants, and technical experts helped develop the standards, NERC said.