MISO expects to exceed its quarterly project maximum when it begins accepting the first generation project proposals under its interconnection queue express lane.
The grid operator will officially open its new, expedited queue study process to hopefuls at 8 a.m. EDT on Aug. 6. It will accept generation proposals through Aug. 11.
“We’re suspecting we get more than 10 in the first cycle,” MISO Director of Resource Utilization Andy Witmeier said at a July 29 Entergy Regional State Committee meeting.
Witmeier said excess project submissions would roll over into the next quarterly study window. MISO is limited to studying 10 projects per quarter under the expedited treatment FERC approved July 21. (See FERC Approves MISO Interconnection Queue Fast Lane.)
MISO plans to study no more than 68 projects, at a pace of 10 per quarter, until the process sunsets on Aug. 31, 2027. It pledged to begin studying the first batch by Sept. 2. MISO plans to open a second application window in early November and kick off studies in early December.
MISO said in an emailed statement that the process is “only intended for highly certain projects that respond to a specific resource adequacy or reliability need.” In response to criticism that the fast lane will favor load-serving entities’ projects, MISO has stressed that independent power producers need only a legally binding agreement with an off-taker to compete for the limited slots. (See CGA Says New MISO Info Guide on Queue Fast Lane Shows Plan is Unfair.)
To qualify for the expedited studies, projects are required to address “a specific load addition or resource adequacy deficiency and be commercially operable within three to six years” of submission. MISO said interconnection service for projects will be capped at 150% of the identified need and must be situated in the project’s local resource zone. Relevant regulatory authorities must certify there’s a resource adequacy or reliability need for each project.
MISO CEO John Bear has said the “temporary mechanism allows us to address urgent needs while preserving state authority for resource adequacy and maintaining transparency and fairness.”
