CAISO board approves large-load grid connection proposal for FERC filing

FOLSOM, Calif. — The California Independent System Operator (ISO) Board of Governors has approved a proposal for new grid connection procedures for large loads, which the ISO will file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by a Nov 16 deadline.

FERC will then determine whether the proposal satisfies its June "Show Cause" order. That order directed the California ISO, five other regional grid operators and their transmission owners to show they have the rules and processes to let large loads such as data centers and manufacturing operations connect quickly, without compromising reliability or shifting costs to other customers.

A key element of the proposal, a "flexible interim load interconnection," would let large loads connect to the transmission system with enforceable flexibility based on grid conditions until related network upgrades are complete, the ISO said. The proposal also creates a new monthly window for the ISO to review transmission upgrades tied to large loads outside the usual planning cycle. It includes a framework to prevent cost shifting.