FERC attended to some housekeeping Friday by putting to rest a rehearing request rendered moot by MISO and SPP’s settlement of their transmission dispute.

The commission dismissed MISO’s rehearing request of its December 2014 order approving the RTO’s use of a “hurdle rate” to manage its north-south flows (ER14-2445-002). The commission also dismissed a related compliance filing.

MISO and SPP reached an agreement that eliminated the need for the hurdle rate in mid-October. (See SPP, MISO Reach Deal to End Transmission Dispute.) FERC accepted the agreement in January.

MISO, its Market Monitor and several regulatory agencies and utilities had sought rehearing, arguing that FERC’s order would cause the $9.57/MWh hurdle rate to climb by 4.5 times, rendering MISO’s North-South interface transfers of more than 1,000 MW uneconomical.

“Because the hurdle rate is no longer effective, and in the [December 2014] order, the commission exercised its discretion to not order refunds … there is no need to address the” matters raised by MISO and others, the commission said.

Under the settlement, MISO will pay SPP $1.33 million monthly until February 2017 to cover flows over 1,000 MW passing through MISO’s North-South interface. MISO is temporarily collecting the funds from members through a miscellaneous charge based on market load ratio share while the RTO and stakeholders continue settlement discussions to decide on a long-term cost allocation (ER14-1736).

– Amanda Durish Cook