MISO reported relatively lower costs and outages in August while it served its annual peak late in the month.

MISO averaged 86 GW load over August, about 1 GW lower than August 2023’s average, according to MISO’s monthly operations report. MISO’s 122 GW annual peak arrived in the afternoon on Aug. 26 during a heatwave and a maximum generation warning. (See Late August Heat Wave Delivers 122-GW MISO Summer Peak.)

The summertime peak was lower than 2023’s 125 GW peak, which was set nearly a year to the date earlier during a separate heatwave and maximum generation warning.

Average daily generation outages were down year over year, at 30 GW, an 8 GW improvement over last August.

Real-time locational marginal prices also were down year over year, at $26/MWh from $33/MWh. However, natural gas and coal prices remained static from 2023 at $2/MMBtu. The pricing was a far cry from 2022, when August saw average real-time prices of $87/MWh and $8/MMBtu coal and natural gas prices.

Natural gas delivered the greatest share of terawatt hours this August, at 28 of the month’s total 62 TWh. Coal supplied 17 TWh, a stark contrast from the 26 TWh coal managed in August 2021.