RF to identify and register entities subject to in-development NERC computational loads requirements following FERC order

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on July 16 issued an order¹ directing the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) 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. The order is one of several recent actions by FERC focused on addressing reliability risks associated with large computational loads, or data centers.

Following approval by FERC, this project will introduce new Reliability Standards that will apply to data center and other computational load owners and operators. RF will work alongside the ERO Enterprise to engage with these types of entities in the RF footprint to help them meet registration deadlines and applicable requirements.

The objective of the order is “to assure computational loads are reliably integrated into BPS operations.” NERC was directed to file one or more new or modified reliability standards to address reliability risk associated with integration of computational loads. NERC was also directed to revise its Rules of Procedure for applicable registry criteria. Both the standards and registration criteria must be submitted to FERC by Dec. 31, 2026. This work is consistent with NERC’s ongoing large loads activities.

Many areas of the U.S., including those within RF’s footprint, expect large increases in electricity consumption as data centers connect to the Bulk Power System. BloombergNEF expects U.S. data center electricity consumption to more than double in the next decade from 2025-2035.  Much of the growth will be concentrated in the PJM areas of Virginia, Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, with a smaller but notable increase in MISO’s territory such as Indiana.

According to the 2026 PJM Load Forecast Report, summer peak load growth is expected to average 3.6% per year over the next 10 year-period, which amounts to a forecasted increase of nearly 66 Gigawatts (GW).

The new standards and criteria will have implications on entities within RF’s footprint where data centers are concentrated. Overall, the measures are designed to enhance grid reliability in the region by identifying applicable facilities and creating requirements for computational loads to reliably integrate into BPS operations.

FERC’s July 2026 order established formal timelines for work that was already underway in Project 2026-02, Computational Loads. The NERC Standards Committee authorized standards drafting on May 20, 2026. According to the project’s Standard Authorization Request (SAR), Phase I will include developing: (1) changes to the NERC Glossary to include large load entities, consistent with the proposed modifications for registration criteria in NERC’s Rules of Procedure; and (2) new and updated Reliability Standards addressing reliability issues associated with integrating these large loads onto the BPS.

The Large Loads Working Group (LLWG) and Phase I drafting team are working on a Phase II SAR, which may include updates to NERC Standards within Modeling, Data and Analysis (MOD); Transmission Operations (TOP0; Interconnection Reliability Operations and Coordination (IRO); and Communications (COM). NERC’s Large Load Action Plan website includes a project timeline for large load activities.

Similar to NERC’s recently completed IBR registration initiative, which resulted from a 2022 FERC order to identify and register non-BES inverter-based resources (IBRs) rated at or above 20 MVA that connect at or above 60 kV, RF will work alongside the ERO Enterprise Regional Entities to identify and register the owners and operators of applicable facilities that will be subject to the computational load requirements.

For more information on RF’s registration process, check out RF’s Registration webpage, which outlines registration procedures and includes contact information.

 

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1. Under RD26-7-000