MISO’s Generator Interconnection Queue cycle set new record (using the GridUnity platform)
Renewable applications continue to surpass other resource types
The 2022 submittals exceeded the previous all-time high for a third year in a row. The volume of requests reflects an acceleration of the resource transition, a trend identified in MISO’s Renewable Integration Impact Assessment (RIIA) and by initial trends identified in the Regional Resource Assessment. MISO refers to the joint responsibility to ensure this transition occurs in a reliable and orderly manner as the Reliability Imperative.
“At this point, we are experiencing exponential growth in the queue,” said Andy Witmeier, director – resource utilization at MISO. “The current applications continue to be heavily weighted with renewables and standalone storage requests again tripling the amount submitted the previous year.”
Solar projects (84 GW) continue to represent the single-highest category this year followed by hybrid projects (34 GW) and storage projects (32 GW). Wind projects totaled about 14 GW.
In July, MISO’s board approved 18 transmission projects representing $10.3 billion in new investment through Tranche 1 of its Long Range Transmission Planning (LRTP) effort. These projects will add significant new transmission capacity to the grid and will be included in the 2022 GIQ studies. Additionally, Congress’ approval of the Inflation Reduction Act increases the production tax credits available to renewable energy sources.
“These numbers continue to represent the seismic shift occurring on the electric grid highlighting a rapid resource transition to renewable energy,” said Witmeier. “It seems the LRTP Tranche 1 approval and Inflation Reduction Act have spurred additional interest this year by enabling and incentivizing new resources to come online. We are working with our stakeholders on the additional regional transmission needed to accommodate this resource shift.”
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently approved MISO’s plan to expedite interconnection timelines for new generators. FERC also cited MISO’s new approach as a positive example in its recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to improve queue processes across the country.
The MISO queue currently consists of 769 projects totaling 118 GW – 97% percent of which is renewable or storage. If all the projects submitted this year are accepted as valid applications, the MISO queue would balloon to 289 GW. Preliminary insights into this year’s applications results are available on the MISO website. Subject matter experts will share details about the 2022 GIQ cycle at the bi-monthly Interconnection Process Working Group meeting on October 10, 2022 at 11:00 am ET.