Six AGs Urged FERC to Revise Interconnection Rules that Cause Clean Energy Delays

OCTOBER 14, 2022

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, along with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel, led a coalition which included six attorneys general in submitting comments on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) proposal to improve electric generator interconnection procedures. In their letter, the AGs supported a new “first-ready, first-served” approach as well as rules that allow providers to review multiple similar requests at once, cutting down on wait times. The comments explained that the “first-come, first-served” process for reviewing requests to connect resources, which worked well when electricity was primarily generated by a small number of large fossil fuel sources, is creating backlogs as generating sources begin to consist more and more of smaller renewable energy sources. Separately, the AGs opposed FERC’s proposal to implement a fine for delays caused by generating sources, arguing that the cost will likely ultimately fall on ratepayers. The comments also encouraged FERC to prioritize reforming the queue structure before considering any other reforms.