At its July 16 monthly open meeting, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission directed the North American Electric Reliability Corporation to act by the end of 2026 to finalize registry criteria and initial Reliability Standards pertaining to the integration of computational loads on the bulk power system.
This is consistent with NERC’s ongoing large loads activities under its authority as the Electric Reliability Organization, NERC noted.
"Reliable integration of computational loads is a critical priority for the nation. To enable this objective, NERC is acting with urgency in collaboration with stakeholders to implement a Large Loads Action Plan," NERC said.
Filed with FERC in March, the plan addresses electric reliability risks from large computational loads, such as data centers and cryptocurrency facilities. This multi-pronged effort includes developing three draft foundational Reliability Standards to establish measurable and enforceable requirements.
The drafting team, NERC staff developing registry criteria, and the Large Loads Working Group were scheduled to meet the week of July 13 to further advance the Large Loads Action Plan.
NERC expects to issue proposed standards and draft registry criteria for public comment in August. Subsequently, NERC will file this proposal for FERC’s consideration by the end of 2026 as required by the FERC-imposed deadline.
At its meeting, FERC also directed NERC to develop a work plan by March 2027 regarding additional Reliability Standards for computational loads.
This is consistent with NERC’s plan to consider other standards in 2027 after the foundational standards are finalized.
FERC’s directives "provide meaningful support for NERC’s Large Loads Action Plan. NERC appreciates FERC’s attention to computational loads and its support for NERC to take action on a timeline that is consistent with the urgency of the moment. NERC looks forward to continuing to work with industry stakeholders and FERC to address this critical electric reliability issue," NERC said.
Kyle Turpin, Manager for Energy Policy and Reliability Standards at the American Public Power Association, has been selected as a member of NERC's standard drafting team for new reliability standards associated with large computational loads.
