Clean Repowering: A Near-Term, IRA-Powered Energy Transition Accelerant

The report identifies a 250 GW potential for 'clean repowering' in the United States, where new clean energy projects are sited at existing interconnection points to bypass interconnection delays and leverage Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives. It highlights two primary pathways: 'Surplus Interconnection Service' for adding capacity to operating plants and 'Generator Replacement' for replacing retiring plants. These strategies aim to reduce interconnection timelines from years to months while supporting energy communities through tax credits and loan guarantees.

• Analysis indicates there is 250 GW of potential for clean repowering projects across the United States to accelerate the energy transition.
• Clean repowering projects can utilize specific Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives, including a 10 percent tax credit bonus for projects in energy communities (such as brownfield sites or coal closure communities) and up to $250 billion in loan guarantees via the DOE-administered Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program, which must be committed by 2026.
• The 'Surplus Interconnection Service' process allows for adding new generation at an existing plant's site using 'spare' interconnection rights; this FERC-regulated process is available in most of the U.S. except for NYISO and ERCOT.
• The 'Generator Replacement' process enables new generation to replace a retiring plant without exceeding its interconnection rights, though this is only available in specific regions such as SPP, MISO, and certain utility territories because there is no standard FERC order.

APA

Wayner, C. (2024). Clean Repowering: A Near-Term, IRA-Powered Energy Transition Accelerant. RMI. https://rmi.org/resources/clean-repowering-a-near-term-ira-powered-energy-transition-accelerant/

Chicago

Wayner, Claire. Clean Repowering: A Near-Term, IRA-Powered Energy Transition Accelerant. RMI, 2024. https://rmi.org/resources/clean-repowering-a-near-term-ira-powered-energy-transition-accelerant/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wayner |first1=Claire |title=Clean Repowering: A Near-Term, IRA-Powered Energy Transition Accelerant |publisher=RMI |date=16 January 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/clean-repowering-a-near-term-ira-powered-energy-transition-accelerant/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wayner2024clean, author = {Wayner, Claire}, title = {{Clean Repowering: A Near-Term, IRA-Powered Energy Transition Accelerant}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/clean-repowering-a-near-term-ira-powered-energy-transition-accelerant/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }