MISO declared a maximum generation emergency for its Midwest region just after midnight Jan. 24 as northern portions of its footprint rode out temperatures plunging into the negative double digits.

The grid operator said it was contending with forced generation outages and transfer limits along with the demand coming with subzero temperatures.

Minneapolis temperatures bottomed out around ‑20 degrees Fahrenheit and Detroit at ‑5 F, while northernmost points of North Dakota and Manitoba saw ‑30 F.

At the time of the emergency declaration, MISO said it curtailed scheduled exports and activated emergency maximum limits for resources in its markets. Around 6 a.m. ET, the RTO elevated its emergency pricing from its $600/MWh first-tier offer floor to its second-tier, $1,100/MWh floor.

MISO forecast a 96.4-GW peak demand for Jan. 24. It was accepting about 4.5 GW in imports around 9:30 a.m. ET while coal and gas units supplied about 74% of a 93-GW demand. Prices at that time appeared to exceed $500/MWh at Wisconsin and Minnesota pricing nodes.

However, MISO noted it was experiencing “system difficulties” with its real-time locational marginal prices and said it could not issue prices. The RTO’s website listed an unchanged, $211.22/MW marginal price.

According to Yes Energy data, Big Rivers Electric Corp.’s D.B. Wilson coal plant went offline unexpectedly Jan. 22.

MISO entered conservative operations Jan. 23. The grid operator didn’t appear to issue a maximum generation warning before it entered emergency procedures.

Ahead of winter, MISO predicted a 103-GW seasonal peak and said that level of demand should not require it to enter emergency procedures. (See MISO Predicts 103-GW Peak for Winter.)

MISO’s all-time winter peak of 109 GW occurred in January 2014, when Minneapolis registered a low of -23 F. MISO last entered a maximum generation emergency June 23, 2025. (See MISO Declares Max Gen Emergency in Heat Wave.)