Common Questions

What did Mayer Brown say about FERC's large-load rulemaking?

Mayer Brown's legal analysis identified three contested issues in RM26-4-000: whether hyperscalers can bypass interconnection studies, how behind-the-meter generation is treated for cost allocation, and who pays for transmission upgrades large loads trigger.Source: Mayer Brown

Is FERC's June 2026 grid order legally durable?

FERC itself said it sought a ruling that was 'quick, efficient, and legally durable'. Mayer Brown's analysis flagged the cost-allocation and study-bypass questions as the most likely grounds for legal challenge.Source: Mayer Brown

What law firm is advising on FERC's large-load grid rulemaking?

Mayer Brown is among the law firms publishing analysis on FERC Docket RM26-4-000. Their legal commentary identified three contested issues: whether hyperscalers can bypass standard interconnection studies, how behind-the-meter generation is treated for cost allocation, and who pays for grid upgrades that large loads trigger.Source: Mayer Brown

Background

Mayer Brown published legal analysis of FERC's RM26-4-000 rulemaking that identified the key contested questions operators, utilities, and RTOs will face in the June 2026 order. The analysis noted that FERC moved roughly two months past the Department of Energy's preferred 30 April 2026 Deadline, and laid out the three fault lines in the proceeding: whether hyperscalers can bypass standard interconnection studies; how behind-the-meter generation is treated for grid-exit cost allocation; and who bears the cost of transmission upgrades that large loads trigger.

Mayer Brown is a global law firm founded in 1881 and headquartered in Chicago, with major offices in Washington, DC, London, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Its energy and infrastructure regulatory practice is one of the most active in Washington, representing utilities, generators, and large consumers in FERC proceedings. The firm's energy group regularly files interventions and comments in FERC dockets and publishes client alerts that are widely cited in the energy and data-centre industries.

For the data-centre sector specifically, Mayer Brown's analysis of RM26-4-000 is significant because it maps the legal durability risk of the June order. FERC explicitly said it sought a ruling that was "quick, efficient, and legally durable" — language that acknowledges prior interconnection reform attempts have been challenged in the courts. Mayer Brown's work helps operators assess the risk of the order being vacated or remanded on judicial review.