MINNEAPOLIS — MISO has put a second proposal for a fast-tracked interconnection queue lane in front of FERC, a mere three weeks after the commission rejected the RTO’s initial proposal.  

This time, MISO said it will hold to a 68-project limit before retiring the express lane and require regulators to verify in writing that a proposed project will either address a resource adequacy risk or accommodate previously unaddressed load growth in the footprint (ER25-2454).  

FERC rejected MISO’s first try to establish the fast track; the commission said MISO failed to limit the number of projects that could apply and failed to predicate expedited treatment on resource adequacy needs. (See MISO Going for 2nd Attempt to Fast Track Power Plants in Queue; FERC Rejects MISO’s Interconnection Queue Fast Lane.) 

During a June 10 System Planning Committee of the MISO Board of Directors, MISO’s Aubrey Johnson said RTO staff knew when drafting the first proposal that changing how certain megawatts “flow” through the queue was going to be an uphill battle.

Johnson said this time around, MISO made the proposal less open-ended by introducing the 68-count limit on projects that get expedited treatment.  

MISO committed to processing 10 fast-track applications per quarter for five quarters. Additionally, it added placeholders for 10 projects from independent power producers who have power purchase agreements with non-utility entities and an additional eight projects that can be submitted only by retail states for resource adequacy deficiencies.  

Johnson said MISO edited language to make it clearer that Illinois’ retail choice setup and Michigan’s partial retail choice construct are welcome.  

The fresh filing also stipulates that projects must reach commercial operation within three years of developers filing an application.  

MISO said it will shelve use of the express lane either by Aug. 31, 2027, or when it satisfies the 68-project limit, whichever comes first.  

Johnson said MISO is aware that it moved fast to refile the proposal within three weeks of MISO’s original rejection.  

“When we think about the changes we made … we feel they’re appropriate because they’re narrow,” Johnson said. He said MISO spent several months refining its original proposal, and the limited revisions and cap keep the original intent of the express lane intact.  

MISO Director Barbara Krumsiek said she noticed that there was still no “grading” of projects by their resource adequacy contributions.  

Johnson said the states, not MISO, decide what’s appropriate to maintain resource adequacy.  

Sustainable FERC Project’s Natalie McIntire complained that MISO’s rapid refile cut short stakeholder review and discussion of the revisions. She reminded board members that FERC expects MISO to allow its stakeholders meaningful input on proposed rule changes before the RTO submits them for approval.   

As MISO reattempts an interconnection express lane, it’s poised to have a banner year for new generator interconnections.  

Johnson said MISO estimates that over 2025, it can usher a record-breaking 10.9 GW in nameplate capacity through its queue that would boil down to 6.2 GW in accredited capacity. So far this year, MISO has processed 2.2 GW worth 1.2 GW after applying accreditation.  

MISO’s traditional queue contains 294 GW across 1,568 projects.  

Johnson added that MISO still has 56 GW in generation projects that are cleared to interconnect to the system but remain unfinished. Just five companies are responsible for 40% of those incomplete projects, Johnson said.