FERC Orders Overhaul of Power Grid Rules for AI Data Centers

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on June 18 ordered regional grid operators to justify or reform tariffs connecting AI data centers to the power grid—the sharpest regulatory move in an 18-month escalation. Grid operators must address rules built around older load patterns, not the hundred-megawatt campuses hyperscalers now demand. Interconnection queues that bottleneck applicants face mandatory scrutiny.