September 2, 2025
Wood Mackenzie: 58 GW of solar and storage projects Secure Rasterslots while federal reforms accelerated approvals
Is the queue of the interconnection actually moving? According to a new Wood Mackenzie -reportRaster Interconnection Agreements rose 33% in 2024, powered by reforms under FERC Order No. 2023 and new rules of regional grid operators. And the vast majority – three of the four projects – were projects for solar and/or energy storage. That is 58 GW capacity from the record of 75 GW Total.
“It is clear that these reforms show early signs of promises when accelerating the pace of interconnection studies,” said Kaitlin Fung, research analyst, North America on Utility scale solar zonne energy for Wood Mackenzie. “We saw a record year in 2024, with 75 Gigawatt (GW) of secure capacity. 2025, this momentum maintains this momentum, because large grid operators have already protected 36 GW until July 2025, which corresponds to the year the 2024 record.”
That increase is combined with fewer speculative projects that introduce queues and more non-living. In comparison with 2022, regional operators reported 9% fewer new project listings and an increase of 51% in recordings.
A market shift
“Solar has been responsible for half of all signed IAS since 2019, a trend that continues in 2025,” says Kaitlin Fung, research analyst, North America on utility scale on Wood Mackenzie. She noticed that the momentum is transporting this year, with grid operators already protected 36 GW until July.
Natural gas, on the other hand, sees mixed results. Although the applications have risen – adding 121 GW since 2022 – the actual interconnection contracts for gas projects have fallen by 25% since 2022, especially in PJM, Miso and Ercot.
Regional differences continue to exist
Ercot leads the country both in the processing speed and the success rates because of the “Connect-and-Managage” approach. ISO-NEn follows with strong success rates but longer timelines, while Caiso is struggling with large quantities of speculative projects.
“Although we see a positive momentum, there are considerable challenges,” Fung added. “Natural gax projects go at record levels in row, but since 2022, annual interconnection contracts signed, and regional differences in processing times emphasize the need for continuous reform efforts.”
Tags: Wood Mackenzie
