By Amanda Durish Cook
MISO is taking measures to speed up the initial step in its generator interconnection process through a more efficient application process.
Speaking during a Feb. 11 conference call, Jesse Phillips, MISO manager of resource utilization project management, said the RTO will revise its Tariff to convert its generator interconnection queue application from a print-and-send form to an instant, online submission. The new procedure will go live in April.
Prospective interconnection customers will also be able to upload documents and models with their application. MISO plans to hold a March 9 training session with stakeholders on the new tool. In the meantime, MISO is asking for stakeholders’ written reactions on the new process through Feb. 26.
The RTO has pledged to confirm receipt of online applications within five business days and notify customers of incomplete applications within 15 days. For complete applications, the new process will take about 30 business days.
The online interconnection request is aimed at streamlining the queue process to save time.
MISO’s interconnection queue peaked at a proposed 101 GW worth of projects in 2019, but the volume has since declined to about 80 GW. Solar projects have become the dominant resource type in the queue at just over 46 GW, more than double proposed wind projects at 19 GW.
“The bottom line is that we’re catching up on the queue,” MISO Executive Director of Resource Planning Patrick Brown said at a Feb. 10 Entergy Regional State Committee meeting. Brown added that MISO plans to introduce more improvements to accelerate project processing and study.
MISO last year began building models in-house for studies required for the queue’s definitive planning phase. Staff at the time said ending the outsourcing of queue modeling work to third parties cut months of delay from the queue timeline. (See MISO Makes Second Attempt at More Rigorous Queue.)
