Southwest Power Pool outlines 20-year consolidated planning process, a ‘grid C’ price signal and AI-driven tools to speed interconnection

Sonny Rahim, a staff member at Southwest Power Pool (SPP), told a conference hosted by FERC staff that SPP is shifting from a reactive generator-interconnection model to a proactive, 20-year consolidated planning process that aims to speed interconnection and give developers earlier cost certainty. "We've studied over 250 gigawatts," Rahim said, and SPP currently has about 53 gigawatts under generator interconnection agreements with roughly 13 gigawatts expected soon.

The plan centers on a 20-year assessment called CPP 20 that identifies planned generator locations and aggregates the portfolio of transmission upgrades those locations would require. Rahim described a new cost construct called the "grid C," a levelized contribution calculated by dividing aggregated portfolio upgrade costs by the megawatts enabled under the forecast. "That gives a levelized rate, a point of entry, a cost certainty for GI developers to understand their total cost for system upgrades before they even enter the open window," Rahim said.

Under the policy, SPP will run a three-year cycle that refreshes the 20-year assessment; the first cycle has identified more than 600 planned locations representing about 240 gigawatts across the 20-year horizon. Rahim said customers who commit to the grid C in the annual open window could move from selection to the start of a generator interconnection agreement negotiation in about seven months, compared with longer timelines under the existing queue-driven approach.

SPP is pairing the policy change with automation and computing upgrades to reduce manual handoffs and speed simulations. Rahim said SPP has developed roughly 100 in-house engineering and automation modules and is working with industry partners, including Hitachi/Hitachi Energy and EPE, while using NVIDIA GPU servers to accelerate computation. He described an internal application called Glow that in tests has cut regional planning simulation runs that previously ranged from 40 to 110 hours by roughly 80 percent, bringing some test runs down to a few hours.

Rahim emphasized that AI is meant to complement—not replace—engineering specialists. The planned data-submission portal will validate inputs, propose corrections, and route validated data into modeling tools to reduce repeated manual data entry and inconsistent assumptions across study milestones.

During a question-and-answer session, participants pressed SPP on how specific planned sites would be and whether permitting and siting work can proceed before a particular generator is identified. Derek Wax of OCNC asked whether planned sites are pinpoint interconnection points or broader regions; Rahim replied that SPP sites at a regional and subregional level for resource adequacy, then defines planned locations at an electrically equivalent nodal level to allow alternative routing if permitting or routing constraints arise. Rahim said generators who propose interconnection at non‑planned locations may still apply but would pay the grid C and could face additional studies or upgrade requirements.

Carlo Brancucci of Anchored asked whether CPP includes non‑firm interconnection options. Rahim said non‑firm projects are considered under an Energy Resource Interconnection Service product that carries a grid C contribution, and that deliverability adders apply where firm deliverability is needed; deliverability designated by load may qualify for base-plan funding if it meets safe‑harbor thresholds.

An attendee identifying as "Virginia Tech" asked how SPP accounts for siting costs if a chosen location is unavailable or expensive; Rahim said SPP gathers price ranges from transmission owners during siting iterations and runs injection analyses to screen site viability. He noted early laboratory testing of Glow produced significant run-time reductions, which he called a strong indicator of the tool’s potential.

The presentation and Q&A did not include any formal votes or regulatory filings; Rahim repeatedly framed CPP as a multi-year, stakeholder-driven tariff and process design that SPP will coordinate with state regulators and submit to FERC for consideration where appropriate. The session closed after audience questions.