ERCOT Establishes Interim Large Load Interconnection Process -- EnergyChoiceMatters.com

ERCOT Establishes Interim Large Load Interconnection Process

March 25, 2022

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Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

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ERCOT said in a market notice that it has established an interim process, "to ensure compliance with existing NERC requirements and for the reliable interconnection of large loads to the ERCOT system."

"Transmission Service Providers (TSPs) should submit interconnection studies that meet the requirements of NERC Reliability Standard FAC-002-2 for each applicable large load proposing to interconnect to the ERCOT system. ERCOT will review these studies and identify any issues that must be resolved prior to allowing applicable loads to be included in ERCOT’s Network Operations Model, register as Load Resources, and/or receive approval to energize," ERCOT said

The interim process is effective immediately and applies to load interconnection requests that have not been modeled and studied in a completed ERCOT planning assessment (e.g., Regional Transmission Plan, Full Interconnection Study, or Regional Planning Group review) and meet the following applicability requirements:

• New loads not co-located with a Resource with total demand within the next two years of 75 MW or greater;
• Existing loads not co-located with a Resource increasing total demand by 75 MW or greater within the next two years;
• New loads co-located with a Resource with total demand within the next two years of 20 MW or greater; or
• Existing loads co-located with a Resource increasing total demand by 20 MW or greater within the next two years.

ERCOT provided a presentation on existing load interconnection requirements at the March 3rd, 2022 Reliability and Operations Subcommittee (ROS) meeting.

At such meeting, ERCOT noted that requests to interconnect large loads both as standalone facilities and co-located with existing or planned generation have increased

Many of these requests have accelerated timelines compared to historic large load additions

As a result of these accelerated timelines, many of these large loads have not yet been incorporated into ERCOT’s existing planning models and processes

ERCOT considers adding large loads to be "materially modifying" existing interconnections of generation

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