Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025

This bill, called the Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025, aims to keep the power grid reliable. It lets the Commission step in if electric service is, or could soon become, inadequate. The Commission can set what service must be provided, require a power plant unit to keep running, and require long‑term plans for needed interstate power lines. It cannot force a utility to expand its plants or sell power if that would harm service. It can set rates to cover extra costs, including paying a plant owner who is required to keep operating.

Orders under this bill can last up to five years and can be extended. If a company takes actions needed to follow such an order, those actions will not count as violations of environmental laws and won’t trigger related penalties or lawsuits.

The bill also requires power plant owners to give at least five years’ public notice before planning to retire an electric generating unit, with exceptions for sudden disasters or emergencies.

• Who is affected: power plant owners and operators, utilities, State commissions, Transmission Organizations, and customers who rely on the grid.
• What changes: the Commission can order steps to maintain reliable service, require long‑term grid plans, set related rates, and shield certain compliance actions from environmental-law penalties; plant retirements need five years’ advance notice.
• When: orders can run up to five years at a time; retirement notices must be filed at least five years before a planned shutdown.