11 States Oppose MISO Fast-Track Grid Plan — SkimNews
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- MISO proposed a 120-day LARS process for loads larger than 200 MW and generation in the same local resource zone, studying the pair at once; the filing partly responded to FERC’s mid-June finding that MISO’s large-load rules were inadequate.
- Organization of MISO States urged FERC to reject LARS over transmission-cost shifting, competition and generator-queue concerns, and said any similar program should end after five years; the opposition included 11 of 15 states and 11 state utility commissions, while Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi backed MISO.
- Google, with the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council, said LARS would leave existing customers paying for network upgrades needed for new loads and generation; Google also said MISO’s cost-allocation framework is due next month but leaves protections unresolved.
- American Clean Power Association and other clean-energy groups said transmission-customer-only eligibility favors vertically integrated utilities, while independent producers must be sponsored and face stricter requirements; SEIA and Advanced Energy United called the rule unduly discriminatory.
- Data Center Coalition generally supported LARS but objected to load-serving entities being the sole application facilitators, saying that narrows eligible supply and effectively lets utilities approve competing projects.
- Duke Energy Indiana, Entergy and other MISO transmission owners backed LARS as an efficient way to expedite nearby large loads and generation; Entergy and Cleco Power urged FERC to make it permanent, citing regulatory and financial certainty and a market signal for at least 15 years.
Why it matters: For existing ratepayers and independent power producers, the stakes are concrete: MISO wants a 120-day path for loads above 200 MW, but opponents say it can shift upgrade costs and favor utility-owned generation. FERC’s ruling will determine which protections accompany that faster interconnection path.
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