HR 603119th CongressIn Committee

Reinforcing the Grid Against Extreme Weather Act of 2025

Introduced: Jan 22, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Reinforcing the Grid Against Extreme Weather Act of 2025 directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to take consolidated, nationwide steps to boost interregional electricity transfer capability between immediately adjacent transmission planning regions. The bill requires a rulemaking to standardize how transfer capability is calculated, to set a minimum transfer capability for reliability during extreme weather, physical events, or cyberattacks, and to establish a process for identifying, selecting, and funding interregional transmission projects needed to meet that minimum. It also mandates a regular planning and reporting schedule, plus protections to prevent disclosure of information related to cyber threats. Overall, the bill aims to improve grid reliability and resilience by fostering more predictable, region-to-region transmission planning and investment.

Key Points

1Rulemaking within 24 months to create a uniform method for calculating interregional transfer capability between adjacent regions, including consistent methods across planning entities and defined terms (e.g., greenhouse gases, transmission benefits).
2Establishment of a minimum interregional transfer capability to ensure reliability during weather-related, physical, or cyber events and to optimize the benefits of interregional transmission.
3Process for identifying, selecting, and allocating costs for interregional transmission projects needed to meet the minimum transfer capability.
4Plan filing and approval requirements: transmission planning entities for adjacent regions must file a plan within 3 years after enactment (and every 5 years thereafter) that evaluates projects based on transmission benefits and achieves the minimum capability; FERC must approve or deny these plans.
5Cybersecurity protections and reporting: safeguard information related to cyberattacks from disclosure; annual (and initial within 48 months after regulations) Federal Register reports on the results of implementing the section.

Impact Areas

Primary: Transmission planning entities and regional transmission planning regions (and the electric grid they oversee) receive standardized procedures for calculating transfer capabilities, defining minimum capability, and coordinating interregional projects to bolster reliability and resilience.Secondary: Electric utilities, project developers, and ratepayers who may face costs associated with identified interregional transmission projects and cost allocation policies established under the new framework.Additional impacts:- Potentially greater cross-region energy efficiency and access to lower-cost or low-emission generation, given the broad definition of “transmission benefits” (including reliability, resilience, public health, market liquidity, and environmental considerations).- Enhanced grid security through explicit protections for cyber-related information and by strengthening resilience against cyber threats and other extreme events.- Increased regulatory oversight and transparency via regular FERC-facing plan approvals and Federal Register reporting, influencing investment timelines and project prioritization.

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