Graded Light and steady on how it connects a new large load. 2 states, 4 actions with sources, reviewed 10 October 2026.
Utilities handle large loads today; CAISO's 50 MW flexible interconnection options are only a draft final proposal dated September 24, 2026.
No large-load collateral or capacity charge exists at the grid operator level.
No curtailment obligation is in force; curtailable service is proposed for the November 16, 2026 FERC filing.
FERC's June 18, 2026 order found the tariff inadequate for co-located loads, so co-location proceeds under review pending the November filing.
CAISO holds a 2.5 GW surplus (July 20, 2026), but PG&E had executed agreements for only 490 MW of a 12.7 GW pipeline and plans 1.8 GW by 2030 (July 24, 2026).
Scored on rules in force, 1 to 5. 5 is the most regulated. Pending rules set the arrow.
CEC tally of data center capacity requests reported by utilities in the CAISO area as of Dec 2025: 5,086 MW signed agreements, 9,587 MW active applications, 8,604 MW inquiries; CAISO itself keeps no large load queue. CEC 2025 IEPR: data center load in the CAISO balancing area grows 1.8 GW by 2030 and 4.9 GW by 2040; CAISO is studying 4.5 GW of data centers in the 2025-2026 transmission plan energy.ca.gov Pace: Not found as a period figure. CEC data center methodology memo (Apr 2026) puts existing data center peak demand at approximately 1,000 MW as of Dec 2025, with 2024 baseline also ~1,000 MW; 2025 increment is forecast (413 MW), not measured.
CAISO reports no supply shortfall and modest data center growth compared with other regions. FERC nonetheless found in June 2026 that its tariff offers large loads essentially only firm service. CAISO's answer is two flexible interconnection options for loads of 50 MW or more, one interim and one permanent, which the investor-owned utilities would then have to write into their own tariffs. California's utility tariff and state law changes sit outside the grid operator.
Comments on the draft final proposal close on 15 October 2026, the CAISO board votes on 28 October and the tariff filing is due at FERC on 16 November 2026; FERC has said it will not look kindly on an extension. PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric must file conforming terms before any customer can take the new service.
CAISO is graded Light and steady on how it connects a new large load: Curtailable interconnection options for 50 MW loads due at FERC in November CAISO reports no supply shortfall and modest data center growth compared with other regions. FERC nonetheless found in June 2026 that its tariff offers large loads essentially only firm service. CAISO's answer is two flexible interconnection options for loads of 50 MW or more, one interim and one permanent, which the investor-owned utilities would then have to write into their own tariffs. California's utility tariff and state law changes sit outside the grid operator.
23.3 GW of large-load interconnection requests as of Dec 2025, of which 5.1 GW approved or contracted. CEC tally of data center capacity requests reported by utilities in the CAISO area as of Dec 2025: 5,086 MW signed agreements, 9,587 MW active applications, 8,604 MW inquiries; CAISO itself keeps no large load queue.
California and Nevada. Each state page gives that state's own laws, incentives and local actions, which sit under the grid's connection rules.
2 of 2: California, Nevada.
Comments on the draft final proposal close on 15 October 2026, the CAISO board votes on 28 October and the tariff filing is due at FERC on 16 November 2026; FERC has said it will not look kindly on an extension. PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric must file conforming terms before any customer can take the new service.
4 items: each is a law, order, tariff, ruling, utility action or local decision that changes what a data center must do, pay or disclose, or where it may be built. Failed and pending measures are marked. Each links to its source.
CAISO posted the draft final proposal and draft tariff language on 24 September 2026 and held a stakeholder meeting on 1 October. Written comments are due on 15 October 2026, after which the proposal goes to the board and the tariff language is filed at FERC. A separate stakeholder meeting on the tariff language is still to be scheduled.
Source: caiso.comPublished 12 August 2026. A large load is defined as an end user at a single site with a peak of 50 MW or more. One option lets a load connect at a curtailable level while network upgrades are built and then convert to firm service; a second, permanent option would let a load that stays curtailable avoid funding or waiting for upgrades. A draft final proposal followed on 24 September and the board vote is set for 28 October 2026.
Source: mgrid.orgFERC's 18 June 2026 order preliminarily found CAISO's tariff inadequate for large and co-located loads. CAISO moved for abeyance on 3 August; FERC granted 90 days and set 16 November 2026 for the tariff filing.
Source: capacityglobal.comCAISO told FERC on 20 July 2026 that it has added about 36,000 MW since 2020 and holds a surplus of more than 2.5 GW above the reliability standard. The California Energy Commission forecasts data center load growth of 1.8 GW by 2030 and 4.9 GW by 2040.
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