MISO flirted with its first maximum generation event of the year early Friday, a month after it cautioned members that winter operations could be risky.

The grid operator announced conservative operations and a maximum generation warning before dawn Friday in its Central and North regions, where high temperatures were in the single digits and generation was forced offline. MISO’s morning peak surpassed 97 GW. By 9:30 a.m. EST, the RTO was able to end both the warning and conservative operations.

Real-time prices topped $230/MWh in MISO’s Indiana and Illinois trading hub during the evening peak.

The close call followed several warnings by MISO executives about natural gas and coal fuel security and forced generation outages during cold fronts. (See MISO Sounds Alarm on Potential Winter Fuel Scarcity.)

MISO maximum generation warnings direct market participants to update generation resource availability and load-modifying resource availability. They also ask transmission owners to ready reconfiguration options. Under conservative operations, members are asked to determine whether any generation or transmission maintenance can be rescinded or postponed.

To better manage winter hazards, the RTO is collecting weekly fuel surveys through February from about 400 generators to assess natural gas and coal fuel security. The task is unpopular among some generation owners, but MISO has been firm that it needs to better understand fuel positions during winter.

The grid operator also issued a cold-weather alert New Year’s Day for the Dakotas, Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada. MISO expected some areas within those states and province to see temperatures drop to -20 degrees Fahrenheit, prompting fuel restrictions. That alert did not escalate.

The RTO has singled out January as its riskiest period for the remainder of the planning year. It has said it expects a 101-GW system peak this month and 108 GW in available capacity to meet the demand. (See MISO Warns of January Emergency Procedures.)