Sec. 131. Offshore wind transmission research and development
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Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy (referred to in this section as the Secretary ) shall initiate the development of recommended network-ready design standards for offshore high-voltage alternating current and high-voltage direct current equipment for voluntary adoption and use by States and the Federal Government. In developing recommended network-ready design standards under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall coordinate with— the Electric Reliability Organization; the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; other relevant Federal agencies, as the Secretary determines to be necessary;
Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators; the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; and other organizations, as the Secretary determines necessary. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall conduct, and publish on the website of the Department of Energy a report describing the results of, a study that assesses the need to, and challenges of, developing and standardizing interoperable equipment and systems in support of shared offshore transmission networks, including— technologies and associated costs; timelines for development; parameters of equipment, such as weight and size; and compatibility of the technologies with fixed and floating offshore generation facilities.
In this paragraph, the term seam means a shared geographic or economic boundary between— an onshore electric energy transmission system and an offshore electric energy transmission system; or the transmission systems of 2 or more offshore wind energy projects. The study under paragraph
(1)may include recommendations for Congress, State, Tribal, and local governments, manufacturers of electric grid components, systems, and technologies, Regional Transmission Organizations, Independent System Operators, transmission planning regions (as defined by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission), offshore renewable energy project developers, and appropriate standards organizations to help ensure interoperability across seams. The Secretary shall conduct, and use to inform the study under paragraph (1), an offshore wind industry survey that— identifies any existing relevant interoperability standards; and reviews common offshore wind transmission equipment ratings to identify gaps and issues of incompatibility. Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish and implement a program (referred to in this paragraph as the program ) to identify, develop, support, and document a standard for the interoperability of electric grid components, systems, and technologies to accelerate the implementation and delivery of electricity generated by offshore renewable energy projects through shared transmission infrastructure. The goals of developing an interoperability standard under the program shall be— to hasten adoption of shared transmission infrastructure for offshore electricity generation by encouraging cooperation among manufacturers of electric grid components, systems, or technologies, for the purposes of— maximizing interoperability among the systems, products, tools, and applications of those manufacturers; reducing offshore renewable energy project delays and cost overruns; managing power grid complexity; and enhancing grid resilience, reliability, and cybersecurity; and to establish technical baseline requirements to effectively and securely measure, monitor, control, and protect electricity generation and transmission infrastructure from the point of generation to the control center. In carrying out the program, the Secretary may provide financial assistance to eligible entities (as determined by the Secretary) to carry out activities that— engage equipment manufacturers and industry stakeholders in collaborative platforms, including workshops and forums; identify current challenges and propose solutions to improve interoperability; and develop an industry interoperability standard that meets the goals described in subparagraph
(B)for voluntary implementation. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the program $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain available until expended. Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish, as a public-private partnership between 1 or more National Laboratories and 1 or more parties described in paragraph (2), a center, to be known as the Center of Excellence for Multiterminal High-Voltage Direct Current Testing and Certification — to test— high-voltage direct current components; and interactions— between high-voltage direct current components from different equipment manufacturers; and between high-voltage direct current components and alternating current devices; and to ensure the compatibility of different devices before installation. A party referred to in paragraph
(1)is— a member of the offshore wind industry; a high-voltage direct current equipment vendor; a transmission provider; a research university; or any other relevant organization, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain available until expended. Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a program for, or modify an existing program to include, the research, development, demonstration, and deployment of offshore wind transmission technology, including with respect to— high-voltage direct current technology; offshore transmission, including floating transmission components; transmission optimization through grid-enhancing technologies; and capabilities of inverter-based resources, including to increase the reliability and resilience of offshore and onshore transmission and the needed models, data, and tools. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the program established under paragraph
(1)$100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.