MISO officials presented a review of load and prices during an informational forum Feb. 23. Some highlights:

• Real-time LMPs averaged $22.14/MWh for the month, a 21% decrease from a year earlier, while the day-ahead average fell 20% to $22.79/MWh. But rising natural gas costs helped boost power prices compared with December, with month-on-month real-time and day-ahead averages increasing 7% and 9%, respectively.

• January marked the end of an 11-month decline in natural gas prices, as the Chicago Citygate rebounded 17% to average $2.33/MMBtu for the month, while Henry Hub jumped nearly 20% to $2.30/MMBtu. Still, Chicago Citygate prices remained far below the January 2015 average of $3.09/MMBtu.
• MISO’s January load averaged 78.5 GW, up 8.2% from December but down 3% from the average for the same month a year ago, the grid operator reported. Load peaked at 98.2 GW on Jan. 19, compared with last January’s 106.5 GW peak and far short of the winter record of 109.3 GW set in January 2014. Day-ahead physical energy last month totaled 56.6 TWh, while real-time load hit 58.4 TWh, a drop from the 60.3 TWh in January 2015.
• MISO wind output also hit an all-time peak of 12.7 GW on Jan. 27, exceeding the previous high of 12.6 GW set on Nov. 19. That figure, however, was quickly surpassed by a new record of 13.1 GW on Feb. 18.

MISO Develops New Metric to Monitor Queue Delays

MISO will measure progress in its generation queue using a new metric: study cycle scheduling, a process that makes existing interconnection agreements and facilities studies the basis for subsequent studies.

Using the metric, the RTO will flag the interconnection queue with “concern” or “review” status if generation interconnection studies can’t be completed on time. Jeff Bladen, executive director of market services, said MISO is currently experiencing delays in the queue because of an influx of restudies related to withdrawing interconnection projects.

“This new metric is allowing us to see more of the delays, but it’s also demonstrative of why reforming the queue process was so important,” Bladen said.

MISO is awaiting FERC approval of the proposed queue changes it filed Dec. 31. If approved, MISO will work to complete existing generation interconnect agreements and existing studies by May 20. (See MISO Unveils Queue Reform Transition as Wind Advocates Seek Delay.) MISO says the proposal will “reduce the delays and provide more certainty to timelines.”

“The reforms that we filed are to help resolve issues that are much more transparent with the metric,” Bladen said. He said that MISO was aware of the delay issues “at some level,” but the new metric made the issues much clearer.

—  Amanda Durish Cook