The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has directed major grid operators to expedite interconnection requests from data centers and other large electricity consumers. In a unanimous decision, the commission ordered six key operators to ensure that these facilities can 'interconnect to the transmission system in a timely and orderly manner,' while requiring data centers to bear the associated costs.

Concurrently, FERC opened avenues for grid technology startups by instructing operators to consider 'alternative transmission technologies,' potentially including solid-state transformers or superconductive lines.

Grid operators are now mandated to submit reports within 30 days detailing available generation redundancy capacity. They must also 'defend or revise the tariff structures for their respective regions' within 60 days.

Furthermore, the commission instructed operators to support data centers in utilizing 'behind-the-meter resources,' facilitating customer-side self-generation and supply.