Infocast’s inaugural Midcontinent Clean Energy summit provided panelists a pulpit for critiquing MISO’s interconnection queue setup as it strains under the weight of hundreds of gigawatts intended to further fleet shift and meet load growth.

A recent webinar from Texas-based analytics firm Aurora Energy Research drew attention to promising and troubling trends alike in MISO’s interconnection queue process.

DOE awarded $371 million to state regulatory agencies to accelerate transmission permitting and to communities impacted by major interstate projects.

MISO’s $25 billion, mostly 765-kV long-range transmission package for the Midwest region is nearing finalization, while the Independent Market Monitor continues to doubt the necessity of the projects.

Clean energy nonprofits continued to try to persuade Entergy and MISO South state commissioners to embrace a broader view of cost allocation for an upcoming long-range transmission portfolio the RTO intends for the subregion.

MISO reaffirmed its commitment to its second, $25 billion long-range transmission portfolio while stakeholders asked the RTO to be mindful of river crossings and whether it may reassign developers for the first LRTP portfolio’s projects in Iowa.

MISO’s second, mostly 765-kV long-range transmission plan could tip past $25 billion with the addition of more projects, stakeholders have learned.

The 2024 Mid-America Regulatory Conference showcased a tug-of-war of positivity and cynicism over meeting growing demand with a fleet that should evolve faster to meet clean energy goals.

MISO said after its experience with its first long-range transmission portfolio, it no longer wants to open simple, conductor-only projects to its competitive bidding process.