T he Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved Southwest Power Pool’s (SPP) proposed “Provisional Load” interconnection review process. The decision provides a new pathway for transmission customers to have new load additions studied even when they lack sufficient existing generation (Designated Resources) to serve that load under traditional rules.
Under SPP’s traditional interconnection and load-serving framework, a transmission customer seeking to add load must meet certain criteria - including having enough existing “Designated Resources” or generation capacity to serve both existing and forecasted load. In many cases, requests for new load could not even advance for study if the customer did not already have adequate generation or interconnection rights.
The Provisional Load Process, established via new tariff language in SPP’s Attachment AX (and related revisions to Attachment J and other tariff sections), lets SPP consider a transmission customer’s planned generation when evaluating a request to interconnect additional load.
In other words, a customer may submit a load addition request and have that load studied even if their planned generation has not yet achieved full interconnection status — as long as the generation plan is sufficiently justified. SPP’s argument is that this process will allow earlier visibility into network effects, help the customer and SPP identify necessary network upgrades, and enhance planning coordination.
Notably, the Provisional Load Process does not itself grant transmission service or interconnection rights to the new load. To actually receive transmission service, the customer must eventually bring its planned generation into Designated Resource status under SPP’s existing interconnection and deliverability rules (for example, via the Aggregate Transmission Service Study under Attachment Z1 or the expedited designation process in section 30.2.2).
One of the central and potentially contentious elements of the Provisional Load Process is how network upgrade costs are treated. Under the approved framework, until the planned generation is recognized as a Designated Resource, any network upgrades identified to support the new load are directly assigned to the transmission customer (the load addition applicant).
Once the generation is formally accepted and interconnection established, any remaining upgrade costs may be shifted into base (zonal or regional) rates, following SPP’s usual upgrade cost allocation mechanisms.
SPP justifies this approach by arguing that it protects the broader pool of transmission customers: it prevents network upgrade costs from being borne by the region for generation projects that might not materialize or might change. SPP’s view, this aligns with cost-causation principles: the costs are paid by the party making the load change until the generation is real and deliverable.
In approving the Provisional Load Process, FERC found the tariff changes and pro forma agreements to be just, reasonable, and consistent with its directives on interconnection and transmission service. The order accepts the new Attachment AX and the revisions to Attachment J and O as conforming and acceptable.
For distribution cooperatives in the SPP region, FERC’s approval of the Provisional Load Process offers new flexibility — but also adds planning and data challenges. The ability to study new load while generation is still pending creates opportunities for growth, yet it demands stronger coordination, forecasting, and cost tracking.
That’s where platforms like Ferro Power Solutions (FPS) become critical. Cooperatives will need tools that connect engineering, operational, and financial data into one system to manage these new requirements effectively.
The new process lets cooperatives study potential load earlier. FPS can tie together load, generation, and transmission data, giving planners a single view of system impacts.
Upgrade costs are assigned to the load entity until generation is confirmed. FPS helps model “what-if” scenarios and estimate financial impact if projects are delayed.
FPS links facility data, power-flow models, and compliance tracking (FAC-008, MOD-032) so engineering and compliance teams work from the same information.
Additionally, SPP’s board has approved a 90-day study process for High Impact Large Loads (HILL), which is intended to speed up interconnection for large industrial or commercial loads that will be paired with generation. These reforms together represent SPP’s ongoing efforts to modernize its interconnection and load integration policies in response to growing load, interconnection queue congestion, and resource adequacy pressures. This FERC approval marks a significant step in evolving how load and generation interconnections are coordinated in SPP’s territory. For cooperatives, it presents a new tool - with both opportunity and responsibility - to better integrate load growth and generation planning.
Christian Hargrave
Co-Founder and CTO at Ferro Power Solutions
Christian is a seasoned software developer with over a decade of hands-on experience across a wide range of technologies. His background spans modern web frameworks, backend architecture, and cloud platforms, giving him a deep understanding of how innovation shapes today’s digital landscape. In addition to development, Christian actively engages with the latest trends in technology and industry news, offering insights that bridge practical engineering with emerging tech movements.