The US Secretary of Energy has called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to write down recent rules that can allow large electricity consumers reminiscent of AI data centers and Bitcoin mining operations to attach directly and quickly to the grid.
In a letter released Thursday, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright called on FERC, the independent agency that regulates the interstate power grid, to grant expedited reviews and create standardized procedures for big electricity consumers to attach on to the high-voltage transmission grid, not only local power lines.
The high-voltage transmission system has greater capability than local lines and is usually utilized by large industrial facilities which have higher power consumption.
“Electricity demand within the United States is anticipated to grow exceptionally quickly, driven largely by the rapid growth of huge loads,” Wright wrote.
“Although there are multiple drivers for this demand growth, reminiscent of household and vehicle electrification, an increasing number of large industrial and industrial loads, particularly data centers, are rapidly being connected to the transmission system.”
Bitcoin miners and AI centers would profit
S. Matthew Schultz, the CEO of bitcoin mining company CleanSpark, said in an X post on Friday that the principles required FERC to expedite connections for “flexible loads like bitcoin mining and data centers.”
“This is a very important signal that the DOE recognizes the worth of flexible demand in strengthening the grid,” he said.
Source: S. Matthew Schultz
Bitcoin miners require significant energy to run their mining rigs that validate transactions and create recent blocks. The more miners participate, the upper the hashrate, which contributes to the safety of the network.
Reviews could take as little as 60 days
Under the brand new rules, Wright proposes that expedited reviews of whether large electricity consumers can connect can be accomplished in 60 days quite than years, provided the applicant meets criteria reminiscent of a willingness to pay for any network upgrades that could be needed.
Wright asks FERC to reply to his letter inside the subsequent six months, no later than April 30, 2026.
Bitcoin mining corporations and artificial intelligence data centers are increasingly competing for access to low-cost, sustainable energy, which could spur renewed institutional investment over the subsequent decade.
