Senate panel clears bill for FERC to require AI use in grid connection requests

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has approved by voice vote a bipartisan bill that requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to develop regulations on the use of artificial intelligence to speed the process for connecting power generators to the grid.

The bill, the Department of Energy AI Act, introduced by retiring Chairman Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), would require FERC within 18 months to issue a rulemaking to revise the interconnection procedures for large...