New Long-Term Reliability Assessment from NERC Highlights Urgency for Removing Barriers to Deployment

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) published a new 2025 Long-Term Reliability Assessment, spotlighting the growing resource adequacy risks throughout the U.S. bulk power system.

Caitlin Marquis, a Managing Director at Advanced Energy United, shared the following reaction to NERC’s new report:

“With demand rising quickly, the power grid could become less reliable if barriers to advanced energy deployment are not addressed. As NERC’s latest report communicates, risk is rising—and poor grid operator interconnection processes, as well as overly cumbersome state-level siting and permitting rules, need urgent attention. State leaders and grid operators need to remove the red tape blocking deployment of the most cost effective and fastest-to-build resources, including solar, energy storage, and demand-side resources.

NERC has previously acknowledged that gas-fired generation accounted for 70% of unplanned outages in PJM during Winter Storm Elliott in 2022. Rather than double down on resources that already dominate the supply stack, adding more affordable, reliable advanced energy technologies like storage paired with renewable energy and demand-side solutions will increase resource diversity and support affordability by minimizing fuel-based price spikes. Advanced energy technologies are also fastest to deploy if regulatory barriers are addressed—and as NERC’s report highlights, some regions face heightened risk starting as soon as this year.”