Question
Does a metro's generator interconnection queue tell you how fast a new facility can get power?
Short answer
No. Queue datasets such as LBNL's Queued Up cover generators — power plants and storage — seeking to connect to the transmission grid. A manufacturer or data center needs load interconnection, which is governed by the serving utility's tariff and study process and is not captured in those datasets.
What each process covers
Published comparisons of "grid access" frequently cite generator queue volumes or durations as a proxy for how quickly a large facility can be served. The two processes are separate.
| Generator interconnection | Load interconnection | |
|---|---|---|
| Who applies | Power plant or storage developer | Manufacturer, data center, other large customer |
| Governed by | RTO/ISO or transmission provider interconnection procedures | Serving utility's tariff and large-load study process |
| Public dataset | LBNL Queued Up, 2026 edition (data through end of 2025) | No consistent national dataset |
| Answers | How much new supply is seeking to connect | When and at what cost a specific site can be served |
Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Queued Up, 2026 edition
How LocatePrime handles it
Generator queue data is shown only as context on the grid market a metro sits in. It is not used as a measure of load availability. Scorecards link to each serving utility so large-load tariffs can be checked directly.
EIA industrial retail electricity prices are state averages and do not reflect a negotiated large-load tariff, which is what a 25+ MW project would pay.
Related data
Sources