- Docket
- EL26-72-000
- Item
- E-11
- Reporter cite
- 195 FERC ¶ 61,215
- Region
- Six New England states
- Respondents
- ISO-NE + 16 Participating Transmission Owners
- Length
- 115 pages
Read the order PDF (committed copy) Official source on ferc.gov ↗
This proceeding is held in abeyance
On August 14, 2026 FERC granted the abeyance motion of ISO New England and the Participating Transmission Owners Administrative Committee (letter order 20260814-3056, 196 FERC ¶ 61,132). Responses to the show cause order are now due November 16, 2026, answers December 16, 2026. A respondent that instead makes an FPA section 205 filing by that date has its obligation to respond suspended, and the proceeding stays in abeyance pending further Commission direction.
Follows through on the intent ISO-NE signaled publicly on Jun 29, the first region to say it would ask. The New England States Committee on Electricity answered in support.
What is unique to ISO-NE
ISO-NE is the small-system, big-load case. FERC flags a system peaking at only ‘30,000 MW’ with significant transmission constraints, and a ‘CELT load forecast’ that generally excludes proposed data centers, so a single large customer can move the regional needle. E-11 turns that into concrete planning questions: how Schedule 22/23 cluster studies, Pool Transmission Facilities at ‘69 kV’ and above, and the Monthly Regional Network Load behind-the-meter-netting rules should change, and whether to import PJM’s MW-threshold remedy for that netting.
What FERC presses ISO-NE on
- How it would study and serve large loads on a system peaking at only ~30,000 MW with significant transmission constraints (P 11 n.31).
- Applying a PJM-style MW threshold to the ‘Monthly Regional Network Load’ behind-the-meter-netting definition (P 60).
Quoted directives, with page cites
Each quotation below is verbatim from the committed order text and links to the page it appears on. A test asserts every one of them against the extracted source.
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Application / study process P 5
“the application process, study procedures, and ongoing operational requirements that apply to Eligible Customers seeking transmission service on behalf of large loads”
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Alternative transmission technologies P 75
“require the evaluation of alternative transmission technologies in transmission service request studies, using models that are capable of evaluating the transmission system”
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Cost-recovery agreement P 6
“a pro forma cost recovery agreement between ISO-NE, the relevant transmission owner, and Eligible Customer … to mitigate the risk of cost shifting”
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BTMG netting P 60
“it allows load with BTMG to net its BTMG against its load for purposes of calculating Regional Network Service charges”
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Proximate-generation service P 7
“the rates, terms, and conditions of service applicable to interconnection customers serving electrically proximate large load or co-located load”
Region-specific findings
FERC frames the risk as particularly acute in New England, citing significant transmission constraints and a system peak of only ~30,000 MW. P 11 n.31
“30,000 MW”
ISO-NE allocates Regional Network Service network-upgrade costs to the Eligible Customer the same way as generator-interconnection costs under Schedule 11. P 20
“Schedule 11”
Its Tariff lets Network Customers net BTMG via the ‘Monthly Regional Network Load’ definition; the order imports the PJM MW-threshold remedy. P 60
“Monthly Regional Network Load”
ISO-NE plans off the CELT load forecast, which does not generally include large proposed loads such as data centers. The order extends the PJM co-location services (compliance accepted Apr. 16, 2026, 195 FERC ¶ 61,030) here, with regional variation (PP 57-59). P 22
“CELT load forecast”
ISO-NE routes a large-load request through the same Cluster Study it uses for generator interconnection and Elective Transmission Upgrades, with study and commercial-readiness deposits under Schedule 22 (requests over 20 MW) or Schedule 23 (20 MW or less). pp. 19
“Schedule 22”
Its backbone is Regional Network Service over Pool Transmission Facilities (rated 69 kV and above), alongside Local Network Service and firm or non-firm Local Point-to-Point Service. pp. 18
“69 kV”
What the public comment record says about ISO-NE
6 of the RM26-4 record's public comments name-check ISO-NE specifically (2 support · 0 oppose · 0 mixed · 4 neutral). That's a floor, not a full count: only about 40% of the corpus carries a region tag at all, so a comment that discusses ISO-NE without the audit pass catching a region-specific mention won't appear here.
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ISO New England Inc. support
“The Commission should provide flexibility for the New England region to formulate interconnection procedures that apply to transmission facilities that are already classified as PTF or Non-PTF.” p. 5
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GridCARE, Inc. neutral
“PJM's Critical Issue Fast Path, SPP's High-Impact Large Load process, and ISO-NE's ongoing work on load characterization all demonstrate that regions are exploring ways to streamline studies, incorporate temporal and behavioral data, better align study processes with actual system operations, and improve coordination with utilities.” p. 3
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National Grid Plc support
“A final rule should reflect this reality and be limited to truly large loads as defined on a region-by-region basis, which in most regions, including New York and New England, is likely to be at a higher MW threshold than 20 MW.” p. 3
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Maine Office of the Public Advocate neutral
“The State of Maine has a number of existing large industrial loads interconnected directly to the high voltage the transmission system. These loads are appropriately treated as retail customers and are required to pay a retail rate.” p. 3
See all 6 comments about ISO-NE →
Section IV briefing questions
This order poses its briefing questions at page 74 of the committed PDF: open at § IV. The questions are templated across the six show cause orders; the full set, and what the public record says on each, is in the comment record.
Respondents named in the order
Central Maine Power Company · The Connecticut Light and Power Company · Fitchburg Gas and Electric Light Company · Green Mountain Power Corporation · Maine Electric Power Company · The Narragansett Electric Company · New England Power Company · New Hampshire Transmission, LLC · NSTAR Electric Company · Public Service Company of New Hampshire · The United Illuminating Company · Unitil Energy Systems, Inc. · Vermont Electric Cooperative, Inc. · Vermont Electric Power Company, Inc. · Vermont Transco LLC · Versant Power
The other dockets
E-7 PJM · E-8 MISO · E-9 SPP · E-10 CAISO · E-12 NYISO · E-2 PJM
Return to the full briefing: the timeline, the five reform categories, the procedural clock, and the 273-comment RM26-4 record.