Digital Power Network Urges FERC to Recognize Digital Infrastructure as a Strategic Reliability Asset

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, D.C. —The Digital Power Network (DPN), the largest coalition of Bitcoin miners and digital infrastructure providers in the United States, today filed post-conference comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) following the Commissioner-led Reliability Technical Conference held on October 21, 2025 (Docket No. AD25-8-000).

Representing over 85% of the U.S. public Bitcoin mining hashrate, DPN’s comments highlight the strategic, economic, and reliability value of integrating digital infrastructure, including Bitcoin mining, AI computing, and colocated data centers, into the U.S. power system. The filing outlines a forward-looking policy framework that positions flexible digital infrastructure as a national security and reliability resource vital to America’s energy and technological leadership.

Read the full submission here.

“The growth of digital infrastructure is not a threat to reliability, it is an opportunity to modernize it,” said Sonya Murphy, Policy Associate at the Digital Power Network. “Bitcoin miners and AI operators are helping to build the next generation of American energy infrastructure: flexible, responsive, and resilient by design.”

Key Recommendations to the Commission

In its comments, DPN urges FERC to adopt a modernized approach to grid reliability and large-load integration that recognizes the operational diversity and flexibility of digital infrastructure. Specifically, DPN calls on the Commission to:

1. Recognize flexible digital infrastructure as a reliability resource within the Bulk Power System.

2. Streamline interconnection processes for colocated and dual-use facilities pairing generation and load.

3. Promote decentralized, consumer-protective, and innovation-friendly tariff structures that reflect the unique characteristics of modern digital operations.

Highlights from DPN’s Filing

• National Security & Strategic Infrastructure:
  DPN expands on NERC CEO Jim Robb’s recognition of data centers as national-security assets, urging FERC to formally recognize Bitcoin mining and AI computing as critical digital infrastructure essential to U.S. competitiveness.

• Grid Reliability & Flexibility:
  The comments detail how Bitcoin miners act as shock absorbers, curtailing within seconds to stabilize grid conditions, while AI workloads provide firm baseload utilization, together flattening demand curves and enhancing system reliability.

• Forecasting & Modeling:
  DPN calls for modernized modeling and AI-driven forecasting to capture the real-time dynamics of dual-use facilities and support improved demand response planning.

• Colocation & Behind-the-Meter Solutions:
  The filing highlights how off-grid and colocated facilities reduce stress on transmission systems and fund new energy generation through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and microgrid partnerships.

• Tariff Modernization:
  DPN urges FERC to distinguish between firm and flexible loads in tariff design and reject proposals for mandatory curtailment, which would create investment uncertainty and risk driving innovation offshore.

• Cybersecurity & Decentralization:
  DPN supports NERC’s proposed Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards and underscores Bitcoin’s decentralized architecture as a model for strengthening grid resilience against cyber and physical threats.

• Community Engagement & Defining Large Loads:
  The organization recommends measures to reduce “ghost loads,” strengthen community engagement in siting and permitting, and adopt regionally adaptive large-load definitions to reflect local grid realities.

• Accelerating Infrastructure Build-Out:
  DPN endorses key provisions in DOE’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANOPR) to expedite interconnection, integrate colocated generation and load studies, and extend the “option to build” to digital facilities.

About the Digital Power Network (DPN):

The Digital Power Network (DPN) is the largest coalition of Bitcoin miners and digital infrastructure leaders in the United States, representing over 85% of the Bitcoin hash rate among publicly traded U.S. mining companies. DPN advocates for policies that promote energy innovation, grid resilience, economic development, and the strategic role of digital assets in the 21st-century economy.