FERC Affirms Decision to Hold Utilities Accountable for Interconnection Delays

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) affirmed its determination on key provisions in Order No. 2023, its landmark interconnection ruling.

In July 2023, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) supported FERC’s proposed interconnection reforms and praised the commission for its efforts to promote accountability and penalize utilities and transmission owners that fail to respond to interconnection requests in a timely manner.

Following is a statement from Melissa Alfano, senior director of energy markets and counsel for SEIA on the development: 

Today the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) upheld penalties for utilities and transmission owners that fail to process interconnection applications in a timely manner. This decision sends a strong message that the Commission is committed to implementing meaningful interconnection reforms that promote fairness and accountability.

For the last decade, utilities have slow-walked interconnection applications and failed to make progress on their own, causing a massive, two-terawatt backlog of solar and storage assets waiting for permission to connect to the grid. These new rules will establish clear expectations for all parties involved in the interconnection process and outline consequences for inaction.

We commend FERC for maintaining these key provisions in Order No. 2023 and pushing for holistic interconnection reforms that can support a thriving clean energy economy. We will continue to work alongside FERC and our members to fully implement Order No. 2023.

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About SEIA®: 

The Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA) is leading the transformation to a clean energy economy, creating the framework for solar to achieve 30% of U.S. electricity generation by 2030. SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies and other strategic partners to fight for policies that create jobs in every community and shape fair market rules that promote competition and the growth of reliable, low-cost solar power. Founded in 1974, SEIA is the national trade association for the solar and solar + storage industries, building a comprehensive vision for the Solar+ Decade through research, education and advocacy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org and follow @SEIA on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Media Contact: 

Morgan Lyons, SEIA’s Director of Communications, mlyons@seia.org (202) 556-2872