Turbulent spring weather in MISO South and more expensive natural gas contributed to MISO’s highest energy prices since December.

Real-time energy prices averaged $30.03/MWh during April while day-ahead prices averaged $30.77/MWh, the first time prices have exceeded $30/MWh since December. The higher prices were due in part to about $3/MMBtu natural gas, and congestion from forced outages and high load in MISO South, which experienced severe weather and temperatures more akin to expected May levels. Systemwide load averaged 66.9 GW, a slight decrease from April 2016, and peaked at 79.6 GW.

“Operating challenges were few in the Midwest, but for the South, the opposite was true,” MISO Executive Director of Strategy Shawn McFarlane said at a May 23 Informational Forum.

McFarlane said MISO activated emergency procedures a number of times during the month in response to the weather and used its emergency pricing structure on three occasions in the month, one culminating in a maximum generation event on April 4. (See “Several Factors in Spring MISO South Maximum Generation Event,” MISO Market Subcommittee Briefs.)

McFarlane said MISO “successfully balanced supply and demand” during all emergency alerts.

“Fortunately, the actions of our neighbors and members and our own actions in the control room allowed us to navigate successfully through challenging events,” McFarlane said.

— Amanda Durish Cook