H.R. 3632 — Power Plant Reliability Act of 2025

This section revises section 207 of the Federal Power Act to expand Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authority to remedy inadequate or imminently inadequate interstate electric service by public utilities and to require five years' advance notice of planned retirements of certain electric generating units. **Section 207(a), as revised**, authorizes FERC, upon complaint by a state commission or transmission organization (previously, state commission only) and after notice and a hearing within 90 days, to order proper service if such service is inadequate, insufficient, or likely to become so within five years. FERC may not compel enlargement of generating facilities or sales or exchanges of electric energy that impair a utility's service to customers (unchanged from prior law) but may require continued operation of generating units and development of long-term transmission facility plans by affected parties; FERC must determine compensatory rates or charges (including for continued unit operations) and cost allocation. Orders terminate no later than five years after issuance but may be extended for up to five more years upon request submitted 180 to 60 days prior to termination, with FERC acting within 60 days after receiving the request; compliance with such orders provides immunity from federal, state, or local environmental law violations or liability. **Section 207(b), as added**, requires owners or operators of generating facilities to notify FERC and affected state commissions or transmission organizations at least five years before retiring an electric generating unit with capacity of 5 megawatts or more interconnected to the bulk-power system (excluding unplanned retirements due to catastrophe, emergency, or disaster); FERC must make notices public. **Section 207(c), as added**, defines key terms including bulk-power system (cross-referencing FPA section 215(a)), electric generating unit, and retire. (As background, prior law authorized FERC, upon state commission complaint, to determine and order adequate service but prohibited compelling generation enlargement or energy sales impairing service to customers.)