A Republican senator has introduced a bill in the US Senate that would impose federal controls on data centers' access to the grid.
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The POWER Up Act was proposed by Senator Cynthia Lummis and, if passed, would establish clear, uniform federal rules for how large loads on the grid connect to the interstate electrical transmission system.
“When a facility wants to draw as much power as a city, that is not an ordinary retail question. It is a grid question,” said Lummis. “Ratepayers need a clear process, informed by best practices, clear rules, and clear accountability. That is what this bill provides. America is going to need more power for data centers, advanced manufacturing, and the next generation of industry. The question is whether we handle that growth with clear rules and reliable planning, or with confusion and delay. Massive demand is here, and America needs a framework that supports investment in our communities while protecting the grid and the people who rely on it every day.”
The bill defines a "large load facility" as any facility or group of co-located facilities with a projected peak demand of 100MW or more, and brings the interconnection of such loads to the transmission system under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) existing "just and reasonable" standard.
