Unlocking Surplus Interconnection Service. Colocating Renewable and Thermal Power Plants

Surplus Interconnection Service process offers efficient, low-cost solutions to the interconnection bottlenecks currently delaying the deployment of new power plants. Across the United States, regulators and policymakers are striving to reliably and cost-effectively meet customer needs while preparing for anticipated electricity demand growth. However, new generators often remain stuck in lengthy interconnection queue backlogs for years, facing escalating interconnection costs that frequently force them to withdraw from the process entirely. The standard interconnection queue process is unable to bring resources online quickly enough to meet the growing reliability demands of the electricity grid and its customers. Renewable developers and grid operators have an opportunity to address these challenges by leveraging faster and more cost-effective pathways, such as the Surplus Interconnection Process. This approach not only expedites the integration of new resources but also offers insights and solutions that can be applied across other U.S. power markets to enhance grid reliability and efficiency