Sierra Club challenges fossil fuel advantage at wind-heavy US electric grid

The Sierra Club said it also filed a lawsuit challenging a similar fast-track plan that FERC approved for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), an electric grid operator in the Midwest. "FERC's approval of SPP and MISO's line-cutting proposals will only add to the disruption that has prevented hundreds of gigawatts of clean energy from coming online to serve projected resource needs," Greg Wannier, a senior attorney with the Sierra Club, said in a statement.

The Sierra Club said on Tuesday it was challenging a U.S. federal energy regulator's decision to fast-track connecting fossil fuel power plants to major electric grids at the expense of renewable energy.

The environmental group filed a petition with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC's) decision to let the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) speed up the interconnection of mostly fossil fuel generation. The SPP, known for its abundance of wind energy, spans 14 states, stretching from North Dakota to Louisiana. But the grid operator says it needs more electricity to meet surging demand from data centers powered by artificial intelligence.

Last year, wind was the SPP's top energy producer at 38%, followed by natural gas at 28%, according to the grid operator. The Sierra Club challenged SPP's proposal before FERC, but the agency denied it. FERC also denied the Sierra Club's rehearing request in September. The Sierra Club said it also filed a lawsuit challenging a similar fast-track plan that FERC approved for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), an electric grid operator in the Midwest.

"FERC's approval of SPP and MISO's line-cutting proposals will only add to the disruption that has prevented hundreds of gigawatts of clean energy from coming online to serve projected resource needs," Greg Wannier, a senior attorney with the Sierra Club, said in a statement.

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