FERC on Tuesday granted MISO an additional three months on two temporary tariff waivers after software-upgrade delays set back the grid operator’s effort to ensure that regulating reserves take precedence over short-term reserves.
The commission approved extensions on the two waivers until Sept. 28, giving MISO additional time to temporarily override its short-term reserve product’s demand curve and suspend some demand-response resources eligible for fast-start designation. The waivers were to expire Tuesday (ER22-2150).
MISO said it has encountered “unavoidable technical issues, which are attributable to the linear nature of software development.” The grid operator said it has failed twice to upgrade its software and hardware but that it is working with vendors to install a software patch to resolve the issue.
MISO said the extension is “crucial to allow needed flexibility to potentially isolate a time window during peak summer operating conditions” to minimize risk as the upgrades are added. The RTO said it will notify FERC if it completes the software upgrades earlier than the waiver allows.
FERC said MISO “acted in good faith by addressing the software implementation delay as soon as it became evident that MISO was unlikely to meet the June 28, 2022, deadline.” The commission said it had no problem adding 90 days to the limited-scope waivers.
